Daily Inspiration: Meet Christopher Leifson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Leifson.

Hi Christopher, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
How I got to where I am today is as much a spirtual journey a much as a physical one. From my childhood when I was quoted saying “now that Im older I have to play in thee mud,” to the desire to be free from the container of vehicle ownership in my teens, or the complete lifestyle change in my 20’s that lead me towards herbal medicine. Looking back I can see both specific instances that altered my choices, and random occurrences that made me feel like the choices were predetermined. From the time I was 16 I decided that I didn’t want to own a vehicle so the jobs that I had between that age and 24 were all within close enough distance to walk daily. At that point I was living in Petoskey and studying herbal medicine privately and with the help of our local food co-op. Unfortunately my position there was terminated and while I picked up a new job as a Gardner with a mentor that helped to change my life I now had to get in a truck daily to drive around the Tip and work. It only took about 5 year being mentored as a gardener that I realized I could do the job with a bicycle and trailer. In this new business model I was given opportunity to do the work with a bicycle but with restrictions which inevitably lead me to venture on my own so and create a business whose focus was real environmentalism and not just ecological in name. At that same time I began gathering seed from local plants to grow and install in landscapes which is equivalent to a painter finding their own pigments in nature and rendering them for paint. With these plants I was able to create a one of a kind landscape with some plants only available from me. Ultimately, all of this was just a means for money to fulfill my ultimate goal which has been distilling local essential oils for therapeutic and perfumery uses. I now find myself somewhere in the midst of this process.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road, even 15 years later I find new challenges present. Anyone who knows gardening will realize the entire process is difficult. Then you can imagine eliminating as much fossil fuel from the process, this is a quick way to multiply the struggles. But there are more obvious struggles that any business owner can run into. For the first 7 years I worked alone and often worked 70+ hours a week only for winter to come and I still had to find an extra source of income to make it through. This period eroded away any sense of friendship or companionship I had and removed any time I had to prevent these changes. Once I had enough work that it required I have help, then came one of the biggest obstacles f learning to trust others to accomplish tasks with the same passion and dedication that you as an owner have, only to further learn about removing any belief that helper actually exists. Mostly, you have to ask yourself what is a bigger obstacle, having full creative control over your work and full credit for its accomplishment or giving up any sense of responsibility and authority so you can just come to work and do what is asked of you without having to put in any thought, either way has its challenges.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
These are like trick questions. Every aspect of my business was created to set it apart from others. Bicycle gardening with native plants whose seeds were harvested and grown locally and used to restore local habitats. I have made rare plants available on a commercial scale, and have brought rock gardening in Michigan to a new level. While its easy to understand what sets my business apart, it took nearly a decade to learn that no matter what a person specializes in or becomes known for, there is nothing grand enough worth acknowledging that can be accomplished by oneself; it takes a team. With that in mind my most proud moment have been giving others the opportunity that were given to me.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
A rebel

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michigancrevicegarden.net/
• Email: [email protected]