Ep 4 Brenna Quinlan: Permaculture Creative

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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