11 Questions with Cinnamon

Candy colored cropped hair Brooklyn native Ryan Norville, aka “Cinnamon” runs a flower shop that is dripping in magical pastels, and deep blues all while taking care of her beautiful son, Ciel. Her aesthetic is one that tells a story; it is whimsical,  playful, all rolled into being effortlessly cool and her Instagram weaves a tale that I wish was printed in a magazine on my coffee table. Follow her journey and purchase these amazing bouquets over at  @oatcinnamon.

1. What color do you wear when you want to feel empowered?

I love anything bright! A fiery red is so bold as well as an orange. I also love head to toe cream, it shows someone is confident that they can eat their lunch without spilling anything on their clothes.

2. Once it is safe to travel again, where will you go?

I am between wanting to revisit places I am fond of and love to go such as Paris and Morocco, or going to a new country altogether like Japan. I just started to study Portuguese and absolutely love the language so far, so I definitely want to go to Brazil when it is safe to do so.

3. What have you learned most over this quarantine?

I think I've learned about what is truly important and fulfilling to me at this time. I saw the importance of family and contentment when you feel like you've lost everything that makes you feel secure. I think being able to create a space for yourself where you're happy without material items and external influences defining your worth such as work, public perception, or approval is the peace we all need to strive for.

4. What is your love language?

If you asked me before the pandemic and having my son, I would have said gifts. I love surprises and a sign that someone knows the true you and what you love. But now, I would definitely say it has changed to acts of service. I am always tired and tackling a seemingly never-ending to-do list. Having someone step into that messy process to help me, or let me catch my breath is invaluable to me now.

5. What is your biggest source of joy?

My son! He is such a ball of happiness and (almost always smiling). He gives the best cuddles and I just want to create a future for him that is as bright as his toothless smile. 

6. How do you create a balanced life for yourself?

Balance looks different for everyone. I think for me I try to create balance in my life knowing that every stage of life is cyclical. There are building stages, rest stages, and regrouping stages. Each stage needs to happen and you have to embrace that time. The hardest part of life is living through the more difficult, uncomfortable and mundane cycles. But I just tell myself, at each stage of my life there is a different balance that needs to happen and there's always something to learn and grow from. 

7. What are you most looking forward to in the new year?

A NEW PRESIDENT !!!!! Also the feeling of a general fresh slate and hopefully an optimism that the next year *hopefully* couldn't get any worse than this year.

8. What ritual do you have for starting your day

I have a newborn, so mornings start when he says they do. I feed him around 6:30am and then pump some more milk for later on in the day. During that time I try to have a moment of peace and will either read or meditate or both in those 20 minutes after I put him back down for the baby's morning nap. 

9. What music are you enjoying right now?

I love to explore languages through music. I listen to a lot of Reggaeton, Brazilian Jazz and Samba, and French rap. It's the perfect blend of workout music, productivity music, and morning music.

10. What do you do when you need to recharge?

Recharging for me, looks like getting to nature in any way possible with whatever is accessible to me. Living in Brooklyn during a pandemic has made that look very different for me than past years. Ideally, I love getting to be next to the ocean, going for a walk on a cool, brisk fall afternoon, or cloud-gazing at a Brooklyn sunset. These are the powerful moments that just make me feel at ease again, knowing that this beauty is so priceless, yet free at the same time. 

11. What is your favorite meal of all time?

I love spicy tonkotsu ramen with pork, broccoli, and dry seaweed with a side of ginger ale and thai iced tea. That can always cheer me up no matter the time of year. But I have to have the mushrooms and scallions removed!