Taking the Squiggly Path

Last week I filled out a survey for a mentorship call, and giggled at the question“What are your goals in the next 3-5 years?”

I responded: “I'd like to be making enough in my web design business to also self-fund a composting business!”

If you're a real one and have been following my journey for awhile now, you'll remember me sharing a (very blurry) video on Instagram 5 years ago of me leaving my corporate marketing design job. At our annual retreat, I made my exit by standing up in front of a room of over 100+ of the top sales people in live entertainment and told them what was on my heart - that I had ‘heard the call’ to live more sustainably, and that I believed the state of the world was inviting me to join together in creating a physical intentional community with the goal of shifting towards a regenerative culture.

Frankly, I was on a mission.

Within my first month of leaving corporate, my partner and I posted an ad on Nextdoor looking for a family who would offer us worktrade at their home for discounted rent, who shared our values, and who wanted to support our goal to shift to a sustainable lifestyle. We soon received a response from a household that was only 5 minutes from our current home at the time! (talk about the universe lining things up, I mean WOW).

The family had never lived in community before, and neither had we, so it was a leap of faith and new experience for us both! But over the following year, my partner and I were able to learn how to grow food, and we built their household a beautiful garden (our first garden) & set up multiple composting systems for the family and for their extended family.

Within that same next year, my partner earned his Permaculture Design Certificate from Oregon State, and we completed a permaculture design for the household. We also started getting really into worms and began teaching vermicomposting workshops in LA alongside brewing and delivering compost teas to gardeners in the surrounding area.

So fast forward, and I finally get the opportunity to re-visit my old coworkers from my corporate job a year later!

I ran around the office to everyone I knew, and when they asked what I'm up to now I said…

“I'm gonna start a WORM FARM!" 🤠🪱🌸 🌍 🌈🪱 🦋 🌿 🌙 🪱 🍄 🌻 💜 🌿🪱 🦋 🌈 🌍 🌸

Photos below: Actual label design of our worm tea by Sarah Lasater @sarlisart

…Some of my former co-workers rolled their eyes — ‘of course, what a Nenah thing to do’.  

One of the higher-higher ups of the company (bless his heart, love that man) literally had a look of disgust on his face (like omg is that really what she's going to do with her life now?)

And then there was George.

George wasn't just a peer - he was also one of the sales people I served during my time at the company. I definitely looked up to George, and to my surprise, George LIT UP when I told him about my worm farm idea. I mean, he was stoked! Laughing with joy, George gave me a hug and a double high five! “Yes!!!” he said! (Actually, I don't remember exactly what he said), but it was something along the lines of "Go for your Dreams! You've got this!"

There's a lot we can learn from George. (& I'll get to that in the minute)

In case you're wondering, my vision 5 years later is pretty much exactly the same.

I believe living and working in community forges a path towards a regenerative future. 

I believe creating quality soil is a primary pillar of personal + planetary health & food justice. 

So then… Why do I spend most of my time studying and growing expertise in photography, websites, marketing, and design? 

Instead of just becoming an expert in composting or sustainability?

To put it in simple terms, the way I see it:

There are a lot of people doing good things in the world with soil, compost, and sustainability. But sometimes great projects get lost-in-the-sauce because they lack the proper brand and marketing strategies to actually communicate why their endeavors are so valuable. I feel that my expertise in marketing is going to serve the composting business even more later on, when the time is right.

Also, for women in business, design seems to have a much higher earning potential than directly working in sustainability (has anyone else heard different?). Meaning that by pursuing what I'm truly best at, I am working my way towards the freedom to self-fund my own sustainability projects in the long run.

Greenhouse at @cedarbloomfarm, planted with Dahlias during @petalsandpigments workshop at @spiritweavers. Rainbow dress naturally dyed by @mariacauldron.

On top of that, let's look at some data. One Shared House is a playful research project that aims to get insights on the future of co-living through a collaborative survey. In a survey of thousands people who are of all ages from over 100+ countries - on average, most people believe that those with a design background would be the best at designing an intentional community. (Want to take the survey yourself? Click here!)

So it does all circle back into itself, doesn't it? ∞

Some Lessons From my Sustainability Journey

— 

(01)

Authentic Self FTW!

Cliche as it sounds, being your authentic self is the secret sauce. When you're entirely yourself, each step of the way, then you'll attract friends and mentors who are like George - who are gonna be stoked for you no matter what you are doing. Don't even trip when certain people don't understand where you're coming from yet, or ever. YOUR people are gonna love you and support you for that ‘you-ness’ that just can't be found anywhere else!

(02)

It's OK if your journey is squiggly. 🪱

Even with a pretty sweet business degree, it feels like it took me forever to figure out how to start and grow my business. Finances. Offers. Systems. All of it has taken me so much more time than I thought. Plus - when I first left my job, I thought I wanted to own an intentional community. (very corporate lol)

Then I realized ownership should probably be communal - so then I thought maybe I could just start or lead one? Then I realized other people may actually be better at leading and managing groups of people than me. So then I thought perhaps I should just focus on designing the foundations of a community? That's still an option - but as time goes on and I've grown passion for soil health, it feels like putting my expertise towards designing a compost brand might actually get moreso to the root of it all. 😂 🌱  IDK yet. Will let you know soon!

The point is - with each new experience, and with each next step into the unknown, the iterations continue and the visions and plans get clearer and more refined.

So don't compare yourself to other people's path or other people's pace or other people's goals - especially when they seem to have it all together, and you are still running around and figuring it out. I could have just stayed at corporate and taken a direct path to ‘success’ in my career, but taking the squiggly path instead has allowed me to surrender completely to the universe's guidance in each moment. To the unfolding of a much larger plan. And it's been more fun and fulfilling along the way too. ☺

(03)

OWN Your Unique POV

Our culture stresses the importance of specialization, but I believe in the power of integration and synergy. I love photography, I love website design, I love regenerative systems and soil and sustainability - and I know that if I keep doing me, eventually those worlds will all collide. Until then, I'll be in a forested corner of the globe diving ever more deeply into my digital design craft - so when the compost brand drops you know it's gonna be fire.

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