91. The Slow Living Shift: From Striving to Savoring with Fiber Farmer Lisa Mitchell

Fiber farmer Lisa Mitchell encourages listeners to embrace a beginner’s mindset and connect to the earth through handwork and making as she tells us the story of her major life shift, from striving for success as an art therapist in the suburbs, to slow living on a guanaco farm in the Pacific Northwest. Guanacos, the undomesticated ancestors of the alpaca, produce a unique and high-quality wool, but are often challenging to work with, and are not commonly farmed in the United States. In the absence of mentors and educational resources, Lisa and her husband set about spending significant time learning how to care for these special animals through experience, trial, and error, resulting in a fiber farm producing the highest quality wool on the market. Lisa seeks to “live with her hands” as she creates, and to practice making as an act of love - for the animals she lives alongside, for other people, and for the earth. Topics Covered: Seeking a different life Guanacos and Guanaco Wool Learning to Work with Natural Fibers Working with Natural Dye Embracing Beginner’s Mind Creating as an Act of Love Connecting with Reality Through Hand Work Resources Mentioned:  Black Sheep Gathering Guest Info: Lisa Mitchell's Website and Online Store, A Fiber Life Instagram: @afiberlife Podcast: https://afiberlife.com/podcast/ Follow Us: Our Website @weareladyfarmer on Instagram The Lady Farmer ALMANAC Original music by John Kingsley @jkingsley1026 Statements in this podcast have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not to be considered as medical or nutritional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be considered above the advice of your physician. Consult a medical professional when making dietary or lifestyle decisions that could affect your health and well being.