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Photo by Wyatt Early

Baltimore’s Creative Budtender

"I'm enjoying budtending a lot more than retail."

Manya Caralle’s goal is to make patients’ day better than it was when they walked in the door. Whether it’s something small like giving them a piece of information on how to save money, or something big like turning them onto a product they have never heard about, Manya has your back. 

What inspired you to work in the Cannabis industry?

For me, it was because I was working in retail for a long time. I really wanted a break from it – I was getting worn out and reaching the end of my time there. I asked myself: What should I do next? I have always liked teaching people things and helping them, so I figured being a budtender was the best way to get into the industry and learn about it. December 2020 will mark one year as a budtender, and I am enjoying it a lot more than retail. I definitely wasn’t making the change in people’s lives then, as I am now.

What is your favorite way to spend a day off?

I do a lot of art outside of work – my background is actually in art and I went to MICA. I do a ton of illustrations, self portraits, costuming and makeup in my spare time. Not just for Halloween, but I attend conventions as well – I dress up for everything. After art school I took a little break from painting and other things; I was a little burnt out and that gave me time to focus on costuming and makeup. I mostly make wigs and makeup and my partner will do the sewing, so we kind of have a little group.

If you were given a thousand acres of land, what would you do with it?

I think it would be really nice to have a community of tiny homes with all my friends living with me. We would build it together – with a garden, spaces for indoor and outdoor art projects, and center it around the community. It would mostly be a massive art studio!

If you could live anywhere besides the US, where would it be and why?

I always had a lot of fun up in Canada. Whenever I went up there for business in the past I had so much fun – Vancouver is beautiful, it’s almost like the New York of Canada. I know they have Cannabis legalization there, so I would likely work in the Cannabis industry there too.

What makes you feel at peace?

Besides the obvious things like Cannabis, I will use white noise for relaxation. This sounds like the opposite of what you’d expect, but when I have anxiety, what really helps me is watching horror movies or true crime documentaries. It gives your anxiety some place to go and offers a healthy release of adrenaline. 

Photos by @errlywyatt

About Wyatt Early

Wyatt is a Maryland native, stoner by nature, obsessor of hash rosin. After getting his start in the printing industry with a family company, he took on the role as state director for Maryland Leaf, and frequently contributes to the magazine with photos and articles.

This article was originally published in the December 2020 issue of Maryland Leaf.

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