Society & Culture:Personal Journals
If you’re looking for reasons to be hopeful, this conversation with Brenna Quinlan will provide a lifetime’s worth.
You probably know her as “that permaculture illustrator” - and boy, can she communicate complex environmental and social ideas with a few deft flicks of her paintbrush!
But did you know that Brenna is also a brilliant thinker, permaculture educator and tiny-hut-dwelling resident of Melliodora?
Yep. Brenna is a breath of fresh air and optimism, with oodles (of positive stuff!) to share about where humanity’s headed - and how we can make the transition altogether more joyful.
Listen in. Smile big. Draw a (hopeful) picture.
SHOW NOTES
- Brenna’s early love of art and “crashing” adult art classes.
- Her story of riding across the Americans in her early 20s, learning about farming and community.
- How she was “the right sized piece of the puzzle” when she fell into illustrating Retrosuburbia... and making creativity her career.
- Why she didn't stress about "using her uni degrees" and instead let creativity and opportunities germinate where they may.
- How and why to be part of a greater movement, rather than going it alone.
- The importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people.
- Her simple daily rituals and joyful pleasures featuring: goats, uphill bike rides, library books.
- Why cycles of day and night, the seasons and and end-of-day gratitude practice are essential parts of her existence.
- Why ‘alternative living’ is an opportunity to connect more with others, rather than persisting with unfettered individualism (the death of community?).
- How her life at Mellidora works: rent for work exchange, living alongside others, zero waste, a permie bubble.
- Why taking a leap of faith into a different life = nothing to lose.
- How she channels her environmental grief into positive forward motion.
- How to find what makes you come alive - and go for it!
LINKS YOU'LL LOVE
- Website: Brenna Quinlan @brenna_quinlan
- Book: Retrosuburbia: The Downshifters Guide to a Resilient Future - David Holmgren
- Book: On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal - Naomi Klein
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