When Creativity Takes Root: A Morning with Shalaco McGee.

The latest buzz at Creative Mornings SF is the visit from Mr. Bloom (a.k.a, Shalaco McGee (Instagram and TikTok and explore SFinBloom) and hearing about his grassroots movement and business to beautify neglected corners of San Francisco with ecologically correct plants… umm… dressed in a shockingly stylish bee outfit!

It was fun to hear everything he had to say, including his superhero origin story of growing up in National Parks and being one with nature from a young age. It’s like part Spider Man; part spider plant! These days, he’s certainly covering a lot of ground locally with his guerrilla flower power and also inspiring others internationally. He’s good at reminding us not to take the wonders of nature and evolution for granted.

Though he remarked that getting recognized in public feels a bit weird, I say what did he expect with such a creatively positive line of public works ? The truth is that it is very easy to become his fan, from observing the very best use of a Parmesan shaker (since enhancing pizza), teaching us about the chemical fertilizing benefits of dog pee, and generally inspiring us all to help take some of the sting out of the Anthropocene.

His presentation made me look inward, too. Good ideas like this should be shared and cloned. We should all start positive feedback loops. We should err on the side of the planet. Also, on a more personal level, everyone should get busy finding flow. Everyone should discover their own ikigai (or “reason to get up in the morning”)… and perhaps even go share it with others while eating a bagel and sipping delicious coffee. Hmmm. That is what Creative Mornings is all about!

His presentation also helped me connect some additional dots. This month I visited San Francisco Public Library’s seed lending library for the first time looking for California native seeds. I recently witnessed carnivorous California native plants in action when visiting with cool people I met through Creative Mornings. I also learned the ABCs of native California bees from photographer Krystle Hickman at a recent California Academy of Science lecture. Now, that is someone else who also appreciates a good patch of native flowers!

As he finished his presentation, I couldn’t help to daydream a bit regarding what’s next for Mister Bloom as his work progresses. Perhaps a bee-shaped drone stealthily dropping off rooftop planters with native flowers on a neglected industrial building. Or perhaps a team of Mr. Bloom types in praying mantis outfits installing native vertical gardens on other buildings like living murals.

Well, despite the surprise of his sudden fame, I suspect Shalaco’s success will only increase because the act of making forgotten places blossom is an excellent way keep San Francisco awesome and inspire other folks around the world too.

Written by community member Luis Betances (https://www.instagram.com/ideealabs/). Photos by Andy Paul.