We were lucky to catch up with Nicky Pitman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicky, thanks for joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

One of the most important aspects of every job I have ever had is collaboration and partnership. Within my first year as Director of Shemesh Farms, our social enterprise partnered with another non-profit, Muralism.org. Both of our organizations employ adults with diverse abilities. Shemesh is a small herb farm and we hand-craft herb blends, lavender sachets, and we jar our own honey which we sell at our online store, at markets, festivals, events, and for special gift orders. Muralism designs, creates, and paints community murals all over Los Angeles.

Two of our Shemesh Farm Fellows (our workers) are also Muralism painters. We wanted to create a mural depicting our Farm in three parts: at our first home in the mountains above Malibu, which was devastated by the Woolsey fire in 2018; our farm-home back in April 2023 (when the mural was painted) at the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue; the third part would depict our Shemesh community, as we knew we would be uprooting and finding a new home later in the year. Our community is the heart of Shemesh Farms. Shemesh means “sun” in Hebrew and our tag line is “Because the sun shines on all of us” – which highlights our dedication to inclusion and belonging.

We also wanted the mural to reflect our commitment to sustainability and our responsibility as earth-keepers. Tiana, one of our Farm Fellow artists, sketched out a design, fleshed it out with Ernie Merlan (the founder and CEO of Muralism) and after a few notes from me, outlined the mural on three 8′ X 4′ panels. The panels were then brought to our Farm in mid-April, the week before Earth Day, along with paints, brushes, and tarps. Members of the Muralism team led all of our Farm Fellows, their coaches, our volunteers, and staff in painting the mural. Everyone used a brush or a finger to have a “hand” in painting our community mural, which showcases the sun in the center and the title, “Every Day is Earth Day at Shemesh Farms.”

The collaboration between our two organizations, Muralism.org and Shemesh Farms, the creation of the mural by our Shemesh community, and the enduring beauty and significance of the mural itself (it now “lives’ at our new home, Shemesh 3.0, at the Malibu United Methodist Church in Zuma Beach), are a testament to the joy of connection and partnership, and certainly is one of the most heartwarming stories of my career.

Nicky, 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?

I was born and raised in L.A. and I am an only child. My parents considered themselves “cultural Jews,” and so we were not religious. We celebrated the more-known Jewish holidays – Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, and Passover, but we also celebrated Christmas and Easter. My parents wanted me to have a “Jewish experience” and they wanted me to get close to nature, so they sent me to sleep-away camp every year from the time I was 11 through 15. At Camp J.C.A., I internalized what I think is the greatest Jewish value: tikkun olam (to repair the world).

The year before I started camp, I fell in love with acting, and that’s where the training for my “first career” began: at the Los Angeles Junior Repertory Company/Story Book Playhouse, under the direction of Jerome Nedd. I hold a B.F.A. in Theatre and spent the better part of my acting career in Chicago.

For over 30 years I acted, wrote, directed, and taught in the theatre and in schools. In my 40’s I went back to school and got my M.A. in Contemplative Education (a fusion of Easter and Western philosophy and pedagogy and academics and spirituality). In my later 40’s I received my certification as a Health Coach and in my 50’s I became certified as both a Creativity Coach and Yoga instructor. I never thought any of my career choices would lead me to the job I have today, as Director of Shemesh Farms, a program of the Shalom Institute – which is umbrella organization of Camp J.C.A.

In June, 2022 I moved back to L.A. from Chicago, coming home to the pace I was born and raised, and back home to where I learned my life’s guiding principle, tikkun olam.

Shemesh Farms is a program of Shalom Institute and a social enterprise, providing employment and community to adults with neuro and physical diverse abilities.

Our program and enterprise are built upon a foundation of sustainability, belonging, and interconnectedness through three main Jewish Values: Shomrei Adamah (stewards of the earth); Kehila (community); Tikkun Olam (to repair the world).

As a community, Farm Fellows (our Shemesh Farm employees), volunteers, and staff harvest and craft spice blends, honey, and other organic products. Together we strategize product development, branding, marketing, packaging, and sales. Our farm and enterprise are built upon a foundation of sustainability, inclusion, and interconnectedness. When you volunteer, make a purchase or a donation, you help us to continue to hire more young adults with diverse abilities and support our sustainable enterprise.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

My current job was not something I chose. It was something that was presented to me. I truly thought when I decided to move back to California from Chicago that I would land a teaching job or work in the theatre community. Taking the position as the director of a farm/program when I had no (seemingly) previous background to qualify me to do so, was a leap of faith on my part (and my employers took a leap of faith too!).

It turns out that so much of my background is what is needed in my work today: community organizing, collaboration, compassion, creativity, mindfulness, resourcefulness, fundraising, writing, directing…I feel profoundly grateful, honored, and humbled to be doing the work I get to do every day.

So, I am not sure if I am answering the question correctly, but what I can say, is I don’t think I would have chosen to do anything different leading up to where I am today. As hokey as some of my responses in this interview may sound, I believe every choice I made – all of my education, training, and experiences – led me to where I am and in the job position that I currently hold today.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

It’s all in the C’s: compassion, clear communication, community-building/organizing, collaboration and creativity. And, I believe, they all go hand-in-hand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shemeshfarms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shemeshfarms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShemeshFarms/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-pitman-49b8752a4/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2ToAImRRhI
• Other: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BAKTh0rRK1s1QWVipf7sNcCRkGc8dE0L/view

Image Credits
All photos credited to Shemesh Farms