Having depression means waking up and not knowing if you will be able to
physically pull yourself out of bed. I was diagnosed with depression when I was 16. I just thought it was normal to wake up tired and exhausted before the day even began. I used to introduce myself as, “Hi, nice to meet you I have anxiety and depression.” I figured I would say the worst parts about myself first so people could leave while they still had the chance. Mental illness is still so heavily stigmatized in our society and people do not like it if you get your sad all over them. Sometimes it feels like it is safest to just keep it to yourself like your own little secret. In January of 2019, I decided no more.
One thing that helps with mental illness is to have a thing. A hobby. Something to
keep your hands busy. In January of 2019, I was fiercely depressed, and I spent my days sleeping or mindlessly scrolling through social media. My therapist urged me to find a hobby. She suggested soap making and I thought she had lost her mind. I did not live on a farm nor did I have the desire to make soap that you would find in your grandma’s bathroom. One day, I was mindlessly scrolling on YouTube and I came across Royalty Soaps. She was a soap maker, but her soap was an art. I set off to do my research to figure out how I could also make soaps. I quickly learned that I could make soaps that reflected my personality. I would describe myself as Ms. Frizzle meets your eccentric aunt with no kids. I started to make soap every time I was sad. This turned into me making more soap than any normal person could use in a lifetime. I realized that soap made me happy and I could sell my creations to make others happy too. In August of 2019, The Sudsy Spoon was born.
I specialize in hand making eccentric soaps with plastic free packaging. I make
soaps that bring me joy, like my collection of Gilmore Girls inspired soaps or my Starry Night Van Gogh creation. In addition to mental health advocacy, it is important for me to be as ecofriendly as possible. I do my best to make the production process as kind to Mother Earth as possible. I also feel it is vital for me to package my soaps in a way that is not just me sending trash across the country. That is why I have vowed to never package my soaps in shrink wrap, no matter how professional they may look.
The Sudsy Spoon is unique in the way that I believe that mental health is just as
important as physical health. I feel that often we neglect our mental health. If my little soap shop can bring joy to even just a few people then my job is done. I want my soaps to be a part of someone’s self-care routine. When someone is having a bad day, I want them to be able to draw up a hot bath and sink into the bubbles of The Sudsy Spoon. I hope to continue to grow The Sudsy Spoon as a light to the mental illness community while still holding my values of eccentric soaps with plastic free packaging close.
~Shea
Check out her incredible soaps and inspiring story on her Instagram @thesudsyspoon!
Comments