Incense Apprentice Has a Web Store!
Buy some incense, save the world (or at least some rare birds)
As my country has slowly gone down in flames over the last few months, I grew increasingly tired of sitting around watching it burn. I work at a hospital doing good work for my community, at least—that’s not nothing. But I wanted to do more.
I’d also amassed a lot of homemade incense, and with the Christmas season over, I had more than I could ever use on my own. I had already given my friends and family as much free incense as they wanted (and then some). I toyed with the idea of creating a web store or Etsy listing, but I didn’t want to ruin an avocation by trying to monetize it just yet. (Buy me a drink, and I’ll dish on my regrettable experience teaching yoga in my 20’s.) I needed something low pressure.
I checked out Shopify, and they have a “first three months for $3” kind of thing going on. So, over a weekend while I was sick with covid, I threw together a web store, hooked it up to PayPal, and voila: Incense Apprentice now has a web store until September 6th. This store is an experiment and a humble attempt at trying to bring some good into the world. For one, I’ll trial running a web store to see if I want to sell incense for really reals, and to see if there’s any demand for it. For two, I will donate all funds (minus shipping and PayPal fees) to The Friends of Hakalau Forest, a Big Island non-profit that works with the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.
Hakalau Forest is a very special place. Not only is it home to some of the last old-growth native Hawaiian forest left, but over the last 40 years, The Friends have helped plant native trees and plants in the former ranch lands around the Forest. What was once cattle-grazed fields are now a healthy koa and ohi’a second growth forest, where endemic birds such as the i’iwi, the ‘akepa, and the oma’o are not only able to survive—they’re thriving. This is the ONLY place in the Hawaiian archipelago where its native honeycreepers are increasing in numbers, and that’s largely due to the federal Refuge workers and the Friends’ planting and predator control.
The first time I visited the Hakalau Refuge as a tourist over five years ago, I was knocked senseless by its the incredible beauty. I thought I’d seen ohi’a trees: little shrubby things on my parents’ property with pretty scarlet and yellow lehua (blooms). I never thought they could get as big as the giant grandfather ohi’a in the heart of Hakalau, which had been tall before Captain Cook and King Kamehameha were even born. And all around this tree rang the most beautiful bird songs. Heard in concert, the singing of native Hawaiian forest birds is like nothing else on this earth.
After I moved to Big Island, I made it a point to join the Friends so I could return to the forest a few times a year as a volunteer. I’ve had the great pleasure of planting trees, controlling invasive species, and sharing this fabulous place on the few days the Hakalau Forest Refuge is open to the public. When DOGE fired several of the hard-working and extremely dedicated staff I knew at the Refuge, the Friends immediately ran a fundraiser to try and keep their jobs.
That’s when I knew it was my turn to give back more than just my time. So, through my art—which contains a few plants native to Hawai’i—I hope to honor the plants and animals of this sacred ‘aina as well as the humans who strive to protect one of the last pockets of native Hawaiian old growth forest left. I also want to honor the tradition of incense as a gift: a prayer in smoke and scent. My prayer is that we can all come together in this small way to heal the earth, our relationship to it, and our hearts. May these gifts bring long life to the plants and animals and peace to each person who pauses to light or warm one of my incenses.
Thanks for checking out my web store. If you run into any bugs or problems, please get in touch.