E12 Kirsten Bradley of Milkwood with big ideas in bite sized morsels

06/07/20 • 52 min

Kirsten Bradley has dedicated the last 13 years (in cahoots with partner Nick Ritar and a host of thinkers and doers) to helping people learn permaculture skills for living like it matters.

We’re referring to Milkwood, of course. And today we get a backstage pass to the brain of its co-creator; a joyous conversation indeed.

Kirsten has a knack for distilling big ideas into bite size words of wisdom, bringing decades of lived experience to our cuppa-tea-with-a-mate interview that will leave you feeling affirmed and hopeful.

She shares her trajectory from inner-city artist to iconic permaculture educator, author and champion of back-to-basics living. Her thoughts on long-term renting, community sufficiency, ways of stewarding land (that don’t necessarily involve buying a massive property), how to bypass hypocrisy and why to get comfy with shades of grey.

Post-episode, you’ll probably want to knock on your neighbour’s door and offer them surplus garden greens - because, according to Kirsten, community connection is the bedrock of a better life (and planet). Listen, absorb, enjoy.
SHOW NOTES

Living in Tassie - autonomy and community sufficiency.
Insights from their trials of different ways of living (including family farming, community living, homesteading, share houses).
Where and how their shift from inner city artists to sharers of skills came about
Alternative ways to steward land (other than ownership)
Actions to consider now foro a better future: 1. Growing food, anywhere/anyhow. 2. Community involvement - get enmeshed, get involved. 3. Figure out your greatest skills and what you can contribute to and learn from your community.
Reframing life towards what matters
Why helping people reclaim lost skills is the most incredible life path she could have chosen.
Bypassing the guilt of hypocrisy and embracing good habits.
The value of seeking out ‘wild spaces’.
Why getting to know your ecosystem is fundamental to living a good life (your watershed, the First Nations title for the land you reside on, your climate, your seasons)
The evolution of thought and practical outcomes which has come from living in different environments and communities.
Accepting shades of grey over black and white.
Stepping past the one family/one house concept.
The tension between tenancy, tenure, community values, land use/management and ownership.
How disasters crystallise community bedrock.
Why they'd rather steward less land, not more.

LINKS YOU'LL LOVE

Support the show

Kirsten Bradley has dedicated the last 13 years (in cahoots with partner Nick Ritar and a host of thinkers and doers) to helping people learn permaculture skills for living like it matters.

We’re referring to Milkwood, of course. And today we get a backstage pass to the brain of its co-creator; a joyous conversation indeed.

Living in Tassie - autonomy and community sufficiency.
Insights from their trials of different ways of living (including family farming, community living, homesteading, share houses).
Where and how their shift from inner city artists to sharers of skills came about
Alternative ways to steward land (other than ownership)
Actions to consider now foro a better future: 1. Growing food, anywhere/anyhow. 2. Community involvement - get enmeshed, get involved. 3. Figure out your greatest skills and what you can contribute to and learn from your community.
Reframing life towards what matters
Why helping people reclaim lost skills is the most incredible life path she could have chosen.
Bypassing the guilt of hypocrisy and embracing good habits.
The value of seeking out ‘wild spaces’.
Why getting to know your ecosystem is fundamental to living a good life (your watershed, the First Nations title for the land you reside on, your climate, your seasons)
The evolution of thought and practical outcomes which has come from living in different environments and communities.
Accepting shades of grey over black and white.
Stepping past the one family/one house concept.
The tension between tenancy, tenure, community values, land use/management and ownership.
How disasters crystallise community bedrock.
Why they'd rather steward less land, not more.

LINKS YOU'LL LOVE

Support the show

Previous Episode

E11 Beau Miles : Filmmaker, storyteller, do-er.

“Adventure doesn’t require new places. It can be cultivated by exploring our immediate lives with greater curiosity.”

Should we try to lead virtuous, principled lives... or do what feels good?

Beau Miles makes a strong case for taking ourselves a little less seriously and having a lot more local fun.

This backyard adventurer and wildly popular filmmaker (most often found up a tree, running a midnight marathon or eating his bodyweight in beans) reckons he doesn’t know much about anything.
But beneath the self-deprecation, Beau is a wealth of ecological wisdom and a master storyteller, taking us right to the heart of what really matters in life.

Get into this philosophical, tangential, slightly mad and marvellously contrarian conversation - then get out there.

SHOW NOTES

The beauty of honing your powers of observation and the necessity of coffee.
Building a seasonal map.
Why it's important to have a personal relationship with the landscape.
The value of seeking knowledge from places outside your comfort zone.
Autoethnography as a valuable avenue for knowledge seeking and sharing.
The liberation of going back to basics.
The importance of knowing our own strengths, and respecting the strengths of others.
How to reconnect to our latent understanding of the land.
The art of reigning in intensity to maintain sustainability.
Why to push boundaries and be comfortable in your own skin.
Getting off your high horse.
Why fear of death is a fundamental human driver.

LINKS YOU'LL LOVE

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Next Episode

E13 Futuresteading Shortie : The wonderful world of WWOOFing

If you've ever dreamed of trying your hand at farming (or other earthy project), programs like WWOOF could be for you.
In return for your time and energy, WWOOFing hosts offer accomodation, vittles and wisdom - sidestepping cash and capitalising on pure human exchange.
Like a smorgasbord of life’s options, WWOOF (or HelpX or Workaway) represent the perfect way to meet new folks, test drive a vast array of lifestyles and get enmeshed in the lives of others quickly and meaningfully. You'll make friends, learn new skills, live like a local, broaden your worldview and travel at very low cost.
As you can guess, Jade and Catie are both big fans of this exchange and bring you 20 minutes of lived experience, from both the host's and helper's perspective.
We hope that if you haven't already, you'll place a farm exchange on your to-do list: young or old, with or without a family, you can gain so much for stepping boldly into the agricultural unknown, getting front row seats to our food system and first hand-experience in the soil.
SHOW NOTES

Catie's volunteering rite-of-passage.
WWOOFing as a wonderful way to cram diversity into your life.
Avoiding tourist traps and getting a VIP pass to real life.
Why to relish the experience - even it's a little uncomfortable. It's about the story.
How it works as a host: the day in/day out routine.
How it encourages cultural sharing, illuminating how humans and communities are shaped.
How it creates a mini-village, with many hands participating in daily life.
The importance of vetting - for both volunteers and hosts.
Why having an open mind and acceptance of the unknown is critical.
Why to always pack warm and dirt-proof clothes!

LINKS YOU'LL LOVE

Support the show