Meet Clinique Moore of The Apricot Farm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clinique Moore.

Hi Clinique, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was 12 years old, I had big dreams of becoming a fashion designer and moving to New York. There was just something so exciting about mixing different textures, colors, and patterns together to create something unique.

As I got older, that dream evolved. My aunt was an interior designer, and I loved watching her take a completely empty room and transform it into a space that made you want to move right in. I still dreamed of New York, but now I wanted to be an interior designer.

During my senior year of high school, I worked at a fast-food restaurant that always received the latest issues of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. I remember begging my manager to let me have the old magazines instead of throwing them away. (Lol.) During slow moments at work, I’d flip through every page, imagining how different colors, textures, and patterns from fashion could translate into beautiful interiors. That’s when I realized that fashion and interior design weren’t all that different…they were both forms of storytelling through design.

After graduating, I went to college, but like so many people experience, life had other plans. I never became an interior designer, but one thing never changed, I knew I was meant to create.

That passion eventually led me to create Moore’s and More, where I focused on family and self-care. I designed and published a self-care journal that I still sell on Amazon, launched a self-care sweatshirt collection, and even creative-directed my own brand photoshoot. I truly enjoyed bringing those ideas to life and sharing them with my online community.

After a while, though, I found myself burned out. Part of it came from feeling like, as a smaller creator, so much hard work could go unnoticed. But more than that, I realized something deeper….I still didn’t feel like I had found what I was truly called to do.

So I gave myself permission to pause and ask some difficult questions: What am I doing? Who am I? What kind of life do I actually want to build?

Those questions led me here.

I realized I still wanted to create, but in a way that felt more aligned with who I am today. I wanted to share my love for hosting, which gives me the opportunity to express my passion for decorating and creating beautiful spaces. I wanted to invite people into our gardening journey, not because I’m an expert, but because I’m learning right alongside them. And I wanted to continue encouraging self-care….but from a place that felt more natural and authentic.

There’s something incredibly peaceful about stepping outside and spending time in the garden. It slows you down. It reminds you to be present. It gives you permission to simply breathe. For me, gardening became another form of self-care, and I knew I wanted to share that feeling with others.

The Apricot Farm is still growing, just like I am. Some parts are still a work in progress, and I’m learning as I go. But one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin. Sometimes, starting before you’re ready is exactly what helps you become the person you’re meant to be.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve faced more obstacles and challenges than I can count. When I was younger and living through them, they didn’t feel like lessons…they felt like punishment. I used to wonder, *”Why is this happening to me?”*

As I’ve gotten older, though, my perspective has completely changed. Now I can look back and say, *”Yeah…that needed to happen.”* Not because I enjoyed it, but because every challenge taught me something I couldn’t have learned any other way. They taught me resilience, how to solve problems, and how to keep moving forward even when things didn’t go according to plan.

I think that’s also what led me to transition from **Moore’s and More** to **The Apricot Farm**. Moore’s and More represented a chapter of my life that I’m incredibly grateful for, but as I grew, I realized my purpose was evolving too. Instead of trying to hold on to who I was, I decided to embrace who I was becoming.

Today, when challenges come my way, I try to ask different questions. Instead of, *”Why is this happening?”* I ask, *”What is this trying to teach me?”* or *”How can I grow from this?”*

Gardening has reinforced that mindset in such a beautiful way. When something isn’t thriving in the garden, the answer is usually already there. The leaves change color, growth slows down, or the plant begins to droop. It’s communicating exactly what it needs. Once you learn to pay attention and respond, it has the opportunity to bloom again.

I think we’re a lot like gardens. Life gives us signs too. Sometimes we need rest. Sometimes we need nourishment. Sometimes we need to be pruned so healthier growth can happen. The challenges don’t define us…they simply reveal what we need so we can continue growing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I laugh every time someone asks me, *”So…what do you do for work?”* because I never know how to answer it in just one sentence. (Lol.) I finally realized that’s because I don’t fit into a one size fits all category, and honestly, I’m okay with that.

At the heart of everything I do is creativity.

Through **The Apricot Farm**, I share our gardening journey, create content for YouTube and social media, and recently began my journey to start writing on Substack, where I get to slow down and tell stories that don’t always fit into a short video. I’m also a huge advocate for self-care, because I truly believe taking care of ourselves allows us to show up better in every area of life.

Behind the scenes, I also design nearly everything for my brand. Before The Apricot Farm, I had a background in graphic design, so creating graphics, developing ideas, and bringing a vision to life has always come naturally to me.

When I really think about it, my work isn’t just gardening or content creation. It’s about helping people find beauty in the everyday. Whether that’s through growing something from seed, setting a welcoming table, creating a peaceful home, sharing a thoughtful story, or simply encouraging someone to slow down and care for themselves, I hope everything I create leaves people feeling inspired to cultivate a life they genuinely enjoy living.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I didn’t fully know what path my life would take, but around the age of 12, I knew one thing for sure…I wanted to create.

While I dreamed of becoming a designer, writing quietly became my first love. I started with poetry, then eventually dreamed of writing books. Like so many childhood dreams, life took me in a different direction for a while.

What’s funny is that life has a way of coming full circle.

Looking back now, I realize those dreams never really left me…they just found different ways to show up.

Today, I host book clubs, which gives me the opportunity to combine my love for books, meaningful conversations, decorating beautiful spaces, and bringing people together. I’m also beginning a new chapter as a writer on Substack, where I get to share stories in a way that feels deeply personal. Even my self-care journal became another way of putting words on paper that I hoped would encourage someone else.

And then there’s gardening.

If you had told 12 year old me that one day I’d be completely inspired by my backyard garden, I probably would’ve laughed. (Lol.) Now you’ll find me outside checking on my tomatoes, baking sourdough bread, planning garden projects, or dreaming up the next way to make our little corner of the world feel warm and welcoming.

I think that’s one of the sweetest surprises about growing up. Sometimes the life you spend years trying to plan doesn’t become the life you’re meant to live. Instead, life gently leads you somewhere even better…a place where all the things you’ve loved along the way finally come together.

For me, that’s The Apricot Farm.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://open.substack.com/pub/theapricotfarm
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theapricotfarm
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theapricotfarm
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8G67Pve/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theapricotfarm
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/Self-Care-Journal-Clinique-Moore/dp/B0B1MBKWB9/