Why Bowerbird is Shifting
In 2020, everything changed. (And yes, I realize this is not a unique story by any means). In March of 2020 I had eight engaged couples booked for full-service wedding stationery, had already designed all of their invitations, and was getting ready to produce day-of wedding materials for an early April celebration.
Seemingly overnight, I went from being on the precipice of having a fully booked year of weddings to having zero weddings. Every event postponed or was cancelled, and everyone held their breath (literally and figuratively?) waiting to see what would happen. I remember so clearly in March of 2020 thinking that we would only have to be “sheltered in place” for a month or so, and then things would get “back to normal.” Almost two years later, the thought makes me chuckle a little bit. We were so young, so naïve!
I want to preface this by saying that I recognize the pandemic has been devastating for millions of people across the globe, and my heart aches for everyone who lost a loved one, or their financial stability, or the countless other devastations that continue to happen daily these past few years. And, strangely, for me the pandemic has been one of the most positively transformative experiences of my life.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I was stressed the eff out about a lot of things. Going to the grocery store was a surreal apocalyptic experience full of empty shelves and the fear of catching the virus. Terrified to potentially pass it to vulnerable people, we stopped seeing our parents and friends in person. But in many other ways, the entire world stalling overnight was a gift I didn’t realize I needed.
Suddenly, I had time. I had space. I was privileged to be able to get on unemployment (so grateful for that) so I didn’t feel the pressure to try to pivot and hustle and sell things when the world felt like it was burning down. I had the opportunity to slow down and listen. I read books, got involved in causes I was passionate about, and became more aware of injustices happening locally and globally. I began to realize that what I had been doing to make money was not the important work I wanted to be doing in this world.
I began to truly absorb the weight of climate collapse and the earth crisis we are in. I watched a powerful webinar about the glaciers in Iceland and learned that we really only have until 2030 to re-design every system in society to be less extractive and more sustainable. And something clicked: the work I had been doing was not sustainable, and was not contributing to this huge global shift that needs to happen. I want the next decade of my life to revolve around helping with that shift in whatever small way I am able.
Ultimately, I realized that I was not, in fact, thriving under capitalism, and I wanted to find another way.
It occurred to me that if I have to labor under capitalism to survive in the system we’re in, I want that labor to deeply align with my optimism towards systems change. I want my labor to contribute to unhooking from the extractive system we are all trapped under. I want to help people shift their perspective so we can shift the world. I deeply want to help people reconnect with the earth, because I feel that our modern disconnection from and othering of nature has caused the destruction we are now forced to reckon with.
Everything kept leading me back towards plants. Plants are the answer.
Plants are the beings that I believe will help us through this. They are slow, they are patient, they are methodical. They teach us about cooperation and sharing and regeneration. They teach us about abundance and fair share and the magic of planting seeds.
Growing a garden, stewarding the small patch of earth that I have been privileged to live on, has in millions of small ways helped me to slowly reconnect to the living world around us. As Robin Wall Kimmerer states in Braiding Sweetgrass,
“We don’t have to figure out everything by ourselves: there are intelligences other than our own, teachers all around us. Imagine how much less lonely the world would be.”
It’s not just the growing piece that has become important to me, because I have also begun to recognize that plants don’t just exist for us. If we have an extractive relationship with our garden - if our plants only exist to provide us a yield - we are still in relationship with the capitalist system that got us to this destructive place.
Tending to the earth is ultimately about reciprocity, and I think it’s also about beauty. There’s something about experiencing a beautiful outdoor place filled with lush greenery, meandering paths and birdsong, or walking into a home that has been intentionally and aesthetically arranged, that slows our nervous system, that helps us relax into the moment, that helps us to unhook from the hustle and bustle of late-stage capitalism, even if for a moment. Imagine if more of your space could allow for these moments, and how they could add together to create space for true connection, with both human and plant kin.
So I’ve been going to plant school, and I love taking horticulture classes. I’m really excited to begin to offer garden design and organization for folks who feel stuck in how to arrange their garden, and what to plant. I have also realized I’m very skilled at spatial organization in general, and I LOVE to rearrange an interior space (I’ve started to realize that not everyone gets extremely excited at the thought of organizing a messy closet!)
I know I’m still at the very beginning of this huge shift and exploration, but I’m feeling excited for the adventure and ready to take the leap into this new phase of my creative career. Thank you for following along with my story about this shift, and am looking forward to exploring this new path and sharing my new offerings with you!
In January I will be offering ten one-on-one Intentional Living calls. We can dig into where your physical indoor or outdoor space might need shifting, so you can feel more rooted, energetically aligned, and inspired to move through your day consciously and intentionally.
Since this is a new exploration for me, I am offering these ten spots at a discounted rate. If having a more beautiful and intentional space (inside or outside) resonates with you, you can get more details and sign up at this link.