We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth Vesneske. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth below.

Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

For various reasons, I have always been fascinated with honeybees. In one way or another they have always been apart of my life. Honey, and the magnificent creatures that create it, represent so much of what I strive to embody in my life. Bees by nature, live in alignment. Day in and day out they honor their purpose. The frequencies that bees emit when working in their hive resonate with organic tissues and promote healing. Their hive is a work of art that perfectly utilizes nature’s strongest geometric shape, the hexagon. Through their daily work of flower hopping, collecting nectar, to produce just about the only food source that does not spoil, and one that offers coupes amounts of health benefits, they pollinate 30% of our crops. And if that were not enough, honeybees and their heavenly hives are often looked at when studying both the Fibonacci Sequence and The Golden Ratio. Two naturally occurring phenomena that I would argue prove we are living in the most magical, and spiritual place. Honeybees honor their gifts, and in doing so their actions positively influence and the greater good of our society and far beyond. They live in alignment and co-create with their universe. Dangled Honey embodies so much more than just sweet creations hanging from ones ear. I strive to be like the honeybee because I want my actions, my energy, my intention to be felt, heard, and seen, in all the ways I can and cannot fathom. It is my intention that with every creation I craft and every interaction I have through my business and life in general that I leave a positive imprint. I want my passion felt, my energy shared, and my radiance to live in alignment with my purpose. Dangled Honey inspires me to be all that I am in hopes of inspiring those around me to do the same.

Elizabeth, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Art has always played an integral role in my life. It gave me a sense of freedom and helped me explore and come to know the deepest, most vulnerable parts of who I am. I knew in some way shape or form art was going to be in my life forever. Had I stuck to that inner knowing I probably would have gone to college for art but I instead was influenced to take a more “calculated” route. Understandably so, more often than not our society deems those following their passions in the arts as “starving artists”. It’s almost as if we’re made to believe our dreams, passions, and true callings aren’t worth pursuing because we denote them to how much money they can bring in. But… I was young, scared, and wanted to play it safe so I went into the medical field and found myself studying nutrition and dietetics. A career path that most definitely resonated with my interests but didn’t fulfill my soul in the ways art always could. I remember sitting in a tailored white lab coat in the pediatric unit during one of my clinical rotations. I was trying my darndest to calculate a tube feeding, this was comical to me at the time as I was never any good at math. Why was I here? I had an epiphany, I thought… Why am I sitting here in a lab coat when I know in my soul I would much rather be wearing a smock and grungy old jeans covered in paint. I did in fact obtain my Associates Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics but knew my density was pulling me in another direction. Later that year, I began studying Art Education at Buffalo State University. While working towards my BFA I was required to take a multitude of fine art courses, many of which had to be 3-D. This was new for me, as I was and had always been really a 2-D artist. Drawing and painting was where I found home. To fulfill one of the courses I took an intro to ceramics. Little did I know my life would never be the same. When I tell you I fell madly in love with dirt.. I fell madly in love with dirt! So much so I made my concentration ceramics so I could study and learn all that I could while obtaining my teaching degree. From that point forward I knew how art was going to be a part of my forever, through this ever expanding, versatile, magical, grounding, creativity broadening medium, clay.

I later went on to obtain my Masters Degree through Buffalo State University in their Creativity and Change Leadership Program. My journey finally started to really make sense to me once I found myself studying creativity and leadership. Again, art has always played such a profound role in my life. It was not just producing art that brought me home to myself but it was the depth and wisdom it taught me along the way. It always allowed me to dive deeper into the parts of me that made me, uniquely me. Spirituality, the concept and the profound truth of it has always been of interest to me. My time spent in this program granted me the gift of interlinking the depth of one’s spirituality with one’s creativity. It all started to align so perfectly and became my focus, passion, and more importantly I believe is part of my purpose here on earth. Creating art, especially through the medium of clay, allowed me to find my truth. It connected me with my roots and gave my soul a voice. I believe, through my studies and findings, and inner knowing, that one’s creative voice and expression is the reflection of their own unique soul within. It is my belief that creativity and spirituality go hand in hand. When one intentionally chooses to enhance either aspect of their lives, the other, by default, grows and expands right along with it. They are two sides of the same coin, interlocking and fueling one another. My soul was calling me, and guiding me to study these two magical topics and my path up until that point allowed me to experience that magic all on my own through clay, art, spirituality, and through following my true calling. I later wrote my Master’s Thesis, “Creativity and Spirituality: The Undeniable Connection Between the Two” explaining how I came to know this truth and ways in which one can cultivate and find more creative fulfillment and alignment in their own life. My small business, Dangled Honey, was a byproduct of intentionally leaning into the things that made my inner child dance and my soul sing.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I am a single momma! I received both my Bachelors and Masters with a little one on my hip, with lots of help from my incredibly supportive family. Dangled Honey was born in the midst of all of that to help feed my creative desires and put a couple bucks in my pocket. Might I add we faced a pandemic in there somewhere too! Needless to say, these past couple years have been easily the most transformative years of my life. Navigating motherhood as a single momma, working artist, and entrepreneur has had its challenges but I would do it all over again if it meant this current phase of my life was still on the other side of it all.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Truthfully, I do what I love and I think… I hope people can feel that through my work. I will always be an advocate for going after the things that bring you the most joy in life. As a deeply spiritual person I am mindful of energy exchange. I wholeheartedly believe that you get what you give, so I try my very best to show up as authentically as I can through my business and the work I create. When I invest my unique creative energy into my work, I do so with intention and love. I take pride in what I craft and I honor the things that I am drawn to. When our creations are backed by thoughtful intention and purposeful meaning, I believe those things then carry within them that same energy that was stirred up when creating them. When I share my true passions with the world, the universe then gifts that same energy back towards me. I believe authenticity is magnetizing. I have found that the more I embody who I truly am deep within, the more successful I am in all areas of my life, including Dangled Honey.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dangledhoney.com
• Instagram: @dangledhoney
• Facebook: @dangledhoney
• Other: www.elizabethvesneske.com

Image Credits
Very first photo of me holding up earrings in a jean top – Credit can go to Daniel Colt Collins