E57 Natasha Morgan and her Oak and Monkey Puzzle life.

Jade takes a peek inside the clever, creative and quietly brilliant world of Natasha Morgan. 

Natasha is, in her own words, a landscape architect and urban designer by profession, and a multi-disciplinary creative collaborator by natural inclination. Anyone who’s been to Natasha’s design hub and home, Oak and Monkey Puzzle, can attest to that.

After throwing career caution to the wind and enrolling herself in the school of life, Natasha and family embarked on a major tree-change from Melbourne to a five acre property in rural Victoria, learning to live with the seasons, grow and gather, preserve, make and embed themselves in place.

This honest and passionate conversation reveals what it’s like to relinquish international renown and kindle a simple existence in partnership with nature. Clairvoyant chooks included.

SHOW NOTES

• Blooming independence that came from her childhood
• Her mum's immigration story 
• A childhood love of getting in the dirt to grow things 
• Architecture to landscape architecture and then urban design and place making.
• “During my times of greatest challenge, I gardened my way through it.”
• How people connect with places and the stories of the landscape
• “My real curiosity about people developed as I developed curiosity about myself.”
• Creating immediacy with her endeavours
• A desire to build a life via the disparate threads of interests she had.
• Despite managing a 17 million dollar project, she couldn't get her child to sleep 
• How a humble chalkboard was the catalyst to create an entirely new life 
• The complexity and celebration that comes with collaboration.
• Seeking solace and inspiration in your surroundings
• “I’ve never in my life had such a deep respect for soil, sun and water - they've become my currency.”
• “While I can’t change the world around me, I can change this five acre plot.”
• Coming to peace with the severity of seasonality and the cyclical nature of growing food
• “The seasons are like old friends - they bring a reverence for what’s around us.”
• The role of chickens in settling a 10 year old autistic mind
• Creating an immersive life with kids so their imaginations can thrive
• Acknowledging the grief that comes with an autism diagnosis
• While neuro-diversity is ‘bloody hard’ it’s also an incredible gift 
• Reconnecting with the inner - “No amount of accolades could give me the joy I get from seeing my children find the first pine mushroom of the season."
• Making space for experiences rather than things.
• Transitioning slowly and intentionally via storytelling
• How sharing a dream bought bigger ideas to fruition incrementally
• You don't need a lot to do something, but being curious is the first step.
• Changing your life within your areas of influence.
• "I let gardening be the one thing in my life that I didn't have to be in control of. It gave me permission to make mistakes."

LINKS YOU'LL LOVE

• Natasha + Oak and Monkey Puzzle on Insta
• The Peace of Wild Things ~ Wendell Berry
• Milkwood Permaculture

Support the show