Meet Baba SOL | Author / Recording Artist / Ethnobotanist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Baba SOL and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Baba, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process that I had in starting my business was that I needed to have some sort of value. Value comes from necessity and being a necessity means that your business will always be in business. Therefore, I just like to start businesses that add value to my environment. Also, I like to start businesses that take little to no money, think of it as turning nothing into something. I’m really good at that. I do not want to forget the fact that I also wanted to have a business that was going to be more so fueled by my passion and not money. So I turn things that I love to do in life such as exploring different natural environments and documenting the botanical life and looking up their ethnomedicinal properties. so I have to be generally interested in what I’m doing, because I get bored easily.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been working on being some sort of healer in Atlanta for the last 10 years now. I have had three different businesses. My first business was a meditation circle that met every Wednesday. My second business was my reiki healing business. That was very successful. My third business was a crystal and gemstone hand made jewelry business. Having all these businesses, I want it to be more effective, so I decided to work with natural herbs and take it to the next level by working with exclusively local medicine only. Meaning I only use seasonal and domesticated medicine and food throughout the year for myself as well as clients. I also set myself apart by being more engaging with others as my business is more intimate because I take people on walks a lot. My business is slightly therapy and education at the same time. There were plenty of challenges with my business as it is not something that people know they need. So I have to build up importance and edify the fact that knowing your environment is key to survival and to remind people that times are uncertain right now and there could be a moment in life where you may have to rely on these skills that I am sharing through my business. My business is more so sharing knowledge and information and not selling products. But I do sell products. I’ve learned along along the way that being patient and consistent is the way to win . It’s never been easy for me to run my business as it is not as lucrative as most businesses with products. Though I have found ways to promote my business and to get more traffic via Airbnb experiences and other different platforms and promoting on social media. I would love the world to know that I wanted the world’s most renowned Ethnobotanist and artist/ songwriter of this century. Everything I did was for the greater good of humanity and that’s all I ever wanted.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Big Daddy Atlanta has grown so much in culture and commerce. It would be so easy to help somebody have a good time here. First I take them two places like cultivate food and coffee which is a place I go every now and then when I want to bust a good check on some organic food as I’m vegan so they got some pretty good options there as well as coffee and smoothies and things. I also will take on to my parents basement in Decatur, which is one of my favorite spots to go and play pinball and grab some graphic literature, aka comics and have some mead. M. PB was the first place I’ve ever tasted mead at and I’ve been hooked ever since. I like the fact that they switch up their mead providers at least every other week and I get to try a new type of mead whenever I go and the people are pretty cool. If you want to go to a cool night spot you got to go to out bar ATL because that’s just like that place on the show. Cheers. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and a lot of people know me when I go there. I perform there a few times and it’s just a pretty good pub to get lit at with friends. Definitely would take them to the natural springs. We have like Indian springs and cave springs Georgia as well as go to places like Arabia, mountain Stone, mountain of course and cloudland to just explore cuz if they’re my friend then I know they’re going to want to get out in nature. I’d also take take them to a show my boy Artormiss may be throwing, cause he’s always putting events on. If they don’t know already then I have to meet my people. Booty God, they had to meet booty God as well as go to well BonfireATL. Definitely check out the high museum in the Michael Carlos c. Museum they are pretty dope and can be free on different days and then on a Sunday ended off at gallery 992 for the Sunday jazz jam session where it’s always feeling like a timeless warp of intrinsic melodic and intoxicating sounds from live instruments. I can’t. Really just break down the whole week but you know you get the idea.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout the most high Yahweh first off for even giving me the mind to think about what I think about lol. Then, I’d like to shout out my Papa for teaching me country living and Teena Myers , my partner Autumn, Mamma Amma , Ras Kofi, Farmer P, Mr. Anderson. All of these people have helped me along my horticultural journey. I’d also like to thank Animal Planet/ Discovery channel, The magic School bus, the crocodile hunter, zaboomafoo, Bill Nye the science guy, ,Indiana jones and the Goonies. All of these shows/ movies influenced me as a child growing up. And I’d like to shout out my inner child! And to the people who continue to share my videos, take my workshops, go on my walks, buy my books, come to my shows! THANK YALL FRFR

Website: https://linktr.ee/Babasol

Instagram: @baba.sol @bushman.atl

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCXjrEb_Z8rXYm-6mZC98zcg

Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XWBSMDW https://abnb.me/w6BIsfkcKtb

Image Credits
David Walter Banks Sowbeit WheatField Photography Bushman.ATL