The Artisan Life

Jenna and Tim Steep are tiny house builders, yoga instructors and womb embodiment mentors. They felt a soulful calling to build a tiny home (a process which was featured on HGTV’s Tiny House, Big LIving) and upon their marriage in the summer of 2017, moved from 3000 square feet to 300.  Along the way, they built a thriving Kundalini Yoga and Womb Awakening online studio called Womb of Love, and blog about tiny living in their spare time on their tiny house blog, Steep Shack.

Jenna describes herself as a Womb Priestess and Yogini, Soul Doula and Visionary. She is joined in life by her husband Tim, a remodeling contractor who thrives on creating sacred spaces with wood and reclaimed materials. Together they are a power couple who not only managed to build a new home in a record time of 44 days, but they also thrive together as they discover that living with less has brought them a bigger life.

There are so many great take-aways in this episode. I love that they just went on a whim to see if HGTV might be interested in their story, and they were signed on! And then it turned a little more serious with pressure to finish on time, due to filming and honeymoon dates looming. But they totally made it work. And then the curating of meaningful details and artifacts that fill their home, it just makes a sacred space that much more special. My favorite quote of the show was “everything in a tiny house is bigger.” From the “small-ish mess on the counter, to a festering argument; things need to be dealt with sooner and more directly. There’s literally no where to hide!  And a lack of space doesn’t dampen the spirit or love the Steeps are able to put out into the world. If anything, a tiny home has served to be a “powerhouse” of intentional energy cultivation and deep presence that is having a healing effect beyond their four walls.

So thanks again to Jenna and Tim. Many blessings on the life you two are building together.

Listen to our conversation below:

Click Here to Listen NOW

On Itunes HERE

On Stitcher Radio HERE

Find out more about Jenna and Tim’s story. If you want to learn more about how you can work with them, visit:

womboflove.com

and

steepshack.com

Tiny Honeymoon House Episode on HGTV

These days, Jody refers to her life as “Round Two.” Her kids have grown, her parents have passed and her life is more focused on her instead of taking care of others, as was the case for many years prior to now. So she was ready to shift and create a life around what she wanted for herself. She prefers a simple, hands-on lifestyle filled with tasks that provide meaning and satisfaction after completing them. This desire, plus some inheritance money, made it possible for her to pursue this dream of purchasing her own land, building her own home and living debt-free in the woods of the Ozarks in Missouri. She spends her days knitting, sewing, cultivating wild foods, gardening, and helping others to support her way of life.

Some might consider her way of life “extreme” as she lives without running water or electricity and prefers to heat her home with a wood stove. Jody tells us about the joys of labor, how engaging in the simplest of tasks give her meaning and satisfaction on a daily basis. She sees life as a patchwork, with holes to fill, and she is doing her part weaving together beauty, love, community and nature into a magnificent masterpiece she can’t wait to witness.

Listen to our conversation Here:

On Itunes

On Stitcher Radio

I was fascinated with the drive that Jody has for creating her own life on her terms. It’s always so inspirational to see people “not waiting until retirement to live the life you love.” What great advice. I hope Jody’s story is fuel for you to go after your artisan lifestyle. You don’t need to have it all together to make the leap, but a good plan, key resources and a community you can rely on will definitely help!

 

Find out more about Jody Kay

On Facebook

Borrowed Earth Goods

Borrowed Earth Farms

It’s a rare person who not only follows their heartfelt childhood interests, but also creates a community to encourage others to learn, grow and share resources related to similar values and interests. Sonia Horowitz is my guest this month and her story will have you itching to get yourself out into nature.

Not only does she grown her own food, find her own mushrooms, raise her own birds, tie dye her own threads, but she’s inspired a movement of homestead dreamers to get out there and make it happen. Sonia has been fascinated with the forest her entire life and followed her heart back to the area where she grew up to start a family as well as a thriving homestead of her own.

In our conversation, she describes the group she founded called Fieldmaidens and how important it is to “return to the land.” She has dreams of owning a Reindeer farm, but for now she is content with teaching her children and other Fieldmaidens foraging skills, and how to create a self-sufficient home.

Connect with Sonia:

On Instagram: @TheHappyHippieHusky

Facebook: The Happy Hippie Husky

Email: [email protected]

 

 

Listen to our conversation below:

On ITunes HERE.

On Stitcher Radio HERE.

 

It has been a while since the last update, and so much has happened. It always seems trite to say “life got busy,” but I understand how regular routines can get away from you, especially when so much is coming at you on the horizon.

So much of our lives are spent planning that when the fruition of dreams occur, you finally have a chance to embrace the moment and savor all the goodness.

In this brief episode, I give a brief recap of the past year and exactly what has transpired since our move to Colorado. I share my transition to my new livelihood and acknowledge the mild discomfort that comes from leaving a familiar career behind.

There are more new ventures on the horizon, however. Not just in my artist world, but as a household. As we proceed with the construction of our home, we plan to document our progress and process on YouTube, so keep in touch, if you are so inclined to watch a couple of self-starters pioneer their dream homestead.

One of the ways I knew it was time to get back to the podcast was that I keep meeting incredible people with amazing stories as I got myself out into the artisan scene in Colorado. With the big efforts behind me, I now have more free time, or flexible time, I should say. Working for yourself always means there are things to do, so “free time” is sort of a fantasy. So back to “jumping in” again. I’ve got the next few episodes lined up, so stay tuned! Enjoy the “Artisan Year in a Nutshell” and hope to leave some inspiration at your leisure.

Listen Here on ITunes

Stitcher Radio

This week we are exploring the artisan characteristic of crafting an intentional life. What exactly does it take to realize what you really want out of life and how do you make it come about? The choices we make can lead us down a series of roads, with some being detours that take awhile to get back to the main path. But underneath it all, we tend to be driven by our interest, our curiosity and our talents, if we let them shine. Do we have the courage to share our gifts with the world? Can we trust them to support us? Will the rest of the world be there to accept us? Can we make a life for ourselves that we are happy with?

In today’s interview we will going deep into the personal journey of creating a livelihood from one’s talents. You’ll get to hear the story of Mary Haglund, who took her love of cooking to the next level as she built a small business empire in Winston Salem North Carolina. It wasn’t easy to spearhead the farm to fork movement in this area, but the community was ready to receive it. Mary talks about what it takes to be successful in business, especially as a woman. You’re in for a treat.

Listen to our conversation below:

Listen Now:

Listen on iTunes HERE

Listen on Stitcher Radio HERE

Listen via Google Play

Show Notes

Find Mary Online:

Mary’s Gourmet Diner

Facebook

Afterthoughts

Wasn’t Mary just an oracle of wisdom? It’s so amazing to me how she’s created this legacy and now at a time in her life where she is ready to give back. She truly wants to see others succeed and be a change agent in the way we perceive the value of food, art and women as entrepreneurs. She’s a treasure to behold.

 If you like the podcast, be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher and I’d love it if you could leave a rating or review.

This week we discuss finding the sweet spot in life. It’s that tricky place between too little and too much. I seem to swing between the two extremes more than I manage to stay balanced in between. Sometimes, though, when I pay attention, I can stay and appreciate the sweet spot for more than a fleeting moment. Right now, I feel like I’m noticing the “too much” perspective. The weather went from excessively rainy to “overly hot and humid for several days in a row. My sweet tooth is raging out of control (thank goodness for dark chocolate) and I’ve been putting myself in a state of overwhelm by attempting to clear out the deepest regions of clutter and storage in my house. It’s time to get rid of stuff I haven’t even looked at in 6 years. Needless to say, I’m ready to calm things down and treat myself with something special.

So,  My guest this week is Allison Royal of the Wallflour bakery. Her specialty is creating the high quality desserts and baked goods that also happen to be gluten free and vegan.  Her story of how she came to starting her own business is sure to be inspiring. She listened to the “call” and felt herself drawn in by the energy and curiosity of her interests and eventually came into a flow, where things just start working out  and success followed.

For Allison, it just so happens that she specializes in making sweet treats, but she’s never been happier. She had to listen to herself. She had to take care of herself first, before she c

ould go and put her best work out there. With just 3 years in business, she is now regarded as a premier gluten free and vegan baking company with over 8 retail locations and many loyal fans. Listen to our chat this week to hear how she navigated the ups and downs of her journey and why she regards it as one of the best decisions she’s ever made.

Listen to the details of her journey and lessons learned in our chat through one of the links below:

Listen Now:

Listen via iTunes HERE

Listen via Stitcher Radio HERE

Listen via Google Play HERE

Show Notes

FInd Allison Online:

Website

Facebook

 

Resources Mentioned:

In Defense of Food

 

Afterthoughts

Didn’t you just love Allison? She followed her heart and addressed her health and found herself creating this amazing niche as a specialty baker. Even her tagline is “Made with Love”. You can tell she really cares about high quality products, she exudes integrity and connecting with people and serving her community.

 

Note: some of the links contained in this page may be affiliate links where I earn a small commission upon your purchase of an item. This enables me to continue to run the podcast and this website. I appreciate your support!

Do you remember when your life felt magical? Remember what it was l like to believe in other worlds and how everyday objects could transform into  into essential props for your land of make believe? I used to spend countless hours in the woods with my siblings, creating a “cabin” complete with multiple rooms, furniture, place settings and food. I would rave on and on about my cabin in the woods to my friends and when they finally saw it, they were confused because they were looking for a physical replica of what they had in their minds. They weren’t seeing my creation through their imagination. Sometimes I would have a friend who “got it” and would play along and contribute to the design, and I knew this friend understood what it was all about.

There is value in the pretend world. This is where we get to practice designing the dreams of our own lives. It also gives a break from the pressures and busy-ness of day to day living. We get a chance to escape, create something beautiful and play for the fun of it.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Donni Webber, a seasoned veteran on this topic. She is an active Fairy Gardener, crafter and Waldorf lifestyle blogger who is helping millions of people around the world reconnect to the importance of magic and fun. Listen to our chat below!

Listen to Episode 20 Below:

Listen Now:

Listen on iTunes HERE.

Listen on Stitcher Radio HERE.

Listen via Google Play HERE.

 

Show Notes

Find Donni Online: 

The Magic Onions

Fairy Gardens

Pinterest

Facebook

Resources:

Seven Times the Sun

The Artist’s Way

Afterthoughts

Do you feel that cultivating a sense of magic is important for child and adult wellbeing?

What kids of activities have you engaged in that get you lost in the land of make believe?

Note: some of the links contained in this page may be affiliate links where I earn a small commission upon your purchase of an item. This enables me to continue to run the podcast and this website. I appreciate your support!

 

Many artisans are multitalented and choose to cultivate creative expression throughout their lives. Some are driven to cultivate and enrich their community such as my guest this week, Dr. Maggie Ashworth. Investing yourself into your community is one of those attributes that can make everyone feel good. We all end up investing in ourselves in the end. We take greater care of our surrounding and look out for one another and ultimately our health improves as a result.

Before we get on to the interview I wanted to mention an important update as to the status of the Artisan Life book that I’m writing. With the help of some excellent council, I’ve decided to take a bit more time to develop the book further, to invest in my craft, if you will. So instead of being ready this spring, I’m allowing myself to take the summer to work on it, enhance the quality and make it a great read , striving to have it ready by fall. It was a difficult decision, as I just love getting things wrapped up and done, but I was starting to feel the pressure of deadline and several projects coinciding, so this seemed like the best way. I don’t want to be tied to a computer screen while in Colorado this summer working on the homestead. Can you blame me? And this will allow me more time for promotional events as well.

So this week I’ve got a great show for you about building community and investing in our health: Dr. Maggie Ashworth will tell us about her adventures in building a business, and building up her community in her hometown of Danville, Virginia.

Listen to our conversation below The Artisan Life Episode 19:

Listen Now:

Listen via iTunes HERE.

Listen via Stitcher Radio HERE

Listen via Google Play HERE.

 

Show Notes

Find Dr. Maggie online:

Facebook

Hot Asana Yoga

Afterthoughts

How Amazing is Dr. Maggie? Talk about going the extra mile to invest in your community. Not only is her business there, but her family, her community, and what she sees as her future. She feels actively involved in forming it and it’s so important. We all need to feel like we belong and have ownership in our communities. I’m sure the payoff is improved wellness for all involved.

What have you done that gets you invested in your community? What have you seen change as a result of community improvement?

 

Do you cultivate beauty in your life? I have friends that come to mind right away who are very skilled at this. They enjoy putting different looks together, enjoy decorating and all the details that can be added to food preparation, party planning and home design. I’m not such a detailed focused person, so I leave off lots of the finishing touches to things that can add beauty to an experience. But I do enjoy appreciating beauty in the moment, in small things, like new flowers in bloom or appreciating someone’s photography. I enjoy how appreciating beauty can cultivate positive feelings of awe and inspiration.

So how can we cultivate beauty this week? I’m going to be heading off to Colorado so, I will be curating snapshots and mementos of our trip. Im going to appreciate our new land, our future homestead and take in all the trees and hillsides and earth moving that we are about to embark on. I’ll suggest your maker’s challenge to find a way to cultivate beauty on your terms this week and see how that action can make your day by boosting your positivity.

Next up, my guest Molly Liebel, is an artisan of beauty. She spends her days immersed in hair design, from color to cuts to styles, she is constantly engaging her creativity and finding flow in her work. She’s also a certified yoga teacher and finds great satisfaction in connecting people with their inner beauty as well. Listen to her story of how she creates days filled with purpose and meaning and what her impact on her community has been.

Episode 18: Click Below to Listen

Listen Now:

Listen on iTunes HERE.

Listen on Stitcher Radio HERE.

Listen on Google Play HERE.

Show Notes

Find Molly Online:

Facebook

Chakras Spa

Free Spirits Yoga

Artisan Challenge of the Week:

Find a way to cultivate beauty in your life! Photos? Nature? Decorating? You decide!

Afterthoughts

How sweet was Molly? What do you think you could do to help others feel good about themselves? Have you ever had your hair done or taken a yoga class and felt completely transformed after the experience? It’s funny what we justify is worthy of our time and money, but what’s the value of positive transformation? Priceless!