Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Primrose.
Hi Ali, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I wear more hats in my career than I own in my closet. Is that normal?
My creativity stemmed from a really young age (as my mom likes to point out, I’ve been drawing on her furniture and walls since before I could talk). I just have always excelled at “projects”. Anything that involved mixing elements to create a cohesive end product or making a vision come to life always made me extremely satisfied and proud.
My degree is in visual communications and although that sounds really vague, I like to put it like this: anything that manipulates the eye. I studied everything from window displays to architecture and marketing and found my niche. ALL OF THE ABOVE. Styling, interior design, graphics, sourcing, cooking, sales, marketing, social media, you name it…I love it.
For my age, I feel like the “what do you do?” question could lead into a day’s worth of conversation. lol
I’ve worked since I was a young teen and even had ideas of going into crime, law, media, beauty, but ultimately knew whatever I did would involve creativity.
A vital moment in my youth as a young worker bee was my first day at Urban Decay. I was handed a really expensive camera and a bag of makeup and told “let’s see what you can do”. I quickly started playing and within 24 hours, my photo had 35k likes (I was a sophomore in high school). Two big lessons were learned that day. 1. always be prepared 2. be original.
My background expands from sales and interiors to social media and prop styling.
Lyke Minded just happened. It started when I was curating charcuterie boards. I kept bringing planks of curated provisions to friend’s gatherings and people flocked. With buzz came a demand for trendy grazing platters among local socialites. Since “cheese boards” were not going to be a career, I created a website called “Lyke Minded” as a visual portfolio for people to see my work.
When I realized social media was way more vital than a costly ecommerce site, I started posting on IG regularly. People loved the organic content and as my cheese boards became less of a priority, food was still widely loved on my platform. This led to me sharing my creations and personal recipes or recipes I was inspired by!
Since sharing my cooking with friends and followers, people have been obsessed with recreating them in their own homes. When they post lifestyle photos of their creations, it melts my heart. It has made me more happy than I could have ever imagined. I decided that I ultimately wanted that feeling to live within something physical that can be treasured, gifted, and used as a resource. A book that belongs sprawled open on your kitchen island, not on your pantry shelf (although it will sit pretty). A book that is an escape to aspirational tablescapes and layered courses. A book that is relatable yet inspirational.
Cookbooks are few and far between and although they are on the rise, I have yet to find one that feels approachable. Many are hundreds of pages long with way too many recipes that I never get to or have produce that is so seasonal it almost feels exclusive. My goal is to make this book feel intentional and also very doable (especially for our age group). Who doesn’t want an artful plate? I just want others to feel fruitful and ultimately create.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not. As a young creative, you are constantly thrown random sh** you don’t know much about (especially when it comes to social media). AKA: What platform to be on, how to grow organic followings, what the algorithm up to today, what brand partnerships to pursue, etc. Lyke Minded’s IG isn’t my “job” so I have to create the content and put in the work on hours that I am not hustling like everyone else. For me, I haven’t quite figured out how to make money off of what I share. I work up to 5+ jobs at a time… Living in sunny Southern California is a tough place to be as a millennial. Sometimes, there doesn’t feel like a lot of hope to be successful or to buy the cute house but honestly, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else or share these experiences with anyone but my husband.
Speaking of my honey…screen time is a big thing in our home. We have been married for almost a year now, together almost ten and he has never been one for the phone. If you talk to his friends, they will inform you he is a hard guy to get in touch with. For some reason, I don’t remember that side of him when my phone was being blown up by texts and calls in high school to hang out via blackberry. Hehe. So, creating content and sharing recipes and working as a social media visual communicator can lead to tricky conversations about the barriers of when being on your phone can be unhealthy. I limit myself daily.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Lyke Minded?
I created the Lyke Minded cookbook so that you could have both: a tasty heirloom dish for you and your loved one AND an aesthetically pleasing plate. With a passion for eclectic design and unconventional styling, I wanted to bring a unique twist to the traditional West Coast culinary experience. My goal is for the Lyke Minded to feel fruitful while furnishing their provisions and ultimately create. The LM cookbook is meant to be a tangible resource that will be treasured, gifted, and utilized by all. Drawing inspiration from my hometown of Orange County, gardening, trips to the farmers market, and family heirloom dishes, each creation has been designed with thoughtfulness.
While these 40 homestyle recipes are both approachable and inspiring, I’ve learned that when you embrace imperfection, magic happens. This book should be sprawled open on the kitchen island.
Pour yourself a glass of wine, and let’s break bread together!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Being 100% me. Trying not to let the noise get to me and REALLY try to not compare yourself to others. It is so easy to scroll through someone else’s life or “lense” and get a sense of false reality. You become custom to thinking “why do I not look like that?” or “that brand didn’t work with me…I must not be good enough.”. It is totally a mental challenge that I’ve personally struggled with and I wish more people talked about it. Yes, we are sharing our lives in a big way and yes, we are vulnerable, but rarely do we talk about deep insecurities and real-life jealousy that comes with following beautiful, wealthy people.
To remain sane and transparent, I don’t share many photos of myself. I try not to gloat or share anything that might put someone down. However, at the end of the day I just share what makes me feel good. I think my followers know that and the ones that love it are truly Lyke Minded to my personal preferences and how I see things. It’s the biggest compliment for someone to love what I love or cherish homestead lifestyles. Living mindfully is my biggest life learning. SLOW DOWN and bask in intention.
Pricing:
- $85 for cookbook
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.lykemindedliving.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyke_minded/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lykemindedlyfestyle
Image Credits:
Alex Mari Photography @alexmari_
