"Living simply comes down to small choices every day and a deep desire to really experience the moment."
Campfire Chats Series - Slow Living with Zenobia Southcombe
This post is part of my monthly Campfire Chats series, available free to all of my subscribers. This series is an opportunity to ask, interview, or feature my community and their experiences of one of the main topics that I write about here on Substack - motherhood, neurodivergence, mental health, running a creative small business, and slow living. If those topics are of interest to you, we’d love to have you in our community. Come join us?
Today’s guest is
who writes two newsletters here on Substack:- where she shares a free column exploring Aotearoa/ New Zealand wildlife, and a bonus highlight from her garden each week.
- , a daily public journal celebrating her everyday life as a part-time artist in rural Aotearoa. Zenobia is enjoying the reflection that comes with sharing her life in a public space. It is a glimpse into her manifestation of the slow, creative, and nature-inspired life.
A brief introduction of who you are and what you do
I'm a nature writer and photographer with a passion for wildlife conservation living in a small rural town in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Through gardening, I have discovered a passion for wildlife & biodiversity and I hope that through collective, small actions we can work towards a more sustainable world - in all senses of the word.
What made you start living a simpler, more intentional life?
I can vividly remember a moment when I realised there was just too much going on in my life (and in my head!) and what I needed to do was simplify. I can't pinpoint the date, but it was in recent years and has been my guiding tenet ever since.
On reflection, it had probably been building up to that point for some time. My husband and I had moved from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland (the biggest city in Aotearoa) to a rural town with a population under 1,000 people. Shifting from renting to owning, we now had a garden we could call our own and started growing some of our own food. There was also less to do as there were fewer amenities, and those that were around had shorter opening hours - the local fish and chip shop closed at 7pm!
I had closed my author business after succumbing to burnout, and was dealing with a really low state of mental health. I worked four days a week at a bookshop in the nearby city, but spent most of my three-day weekend resting and recovering so I could do it all again on Monday.
In addition to that, we'd been on a journey towards zero waste. We were reducing the "stuff" we allowed into our house, and using more unpackaged produce. This forced me to cook more from scratch which also meant a longer, slower preparation time for meals. I loved the whole process of being more involved in the food I put on the table, especially when I had grown and harvested the ingredients myself. It also meant we made much more thoughtful, conscious decisions around our purchasing decisions.
What would your perfect, slow, 24 hours look like?
I have to be honest: it would start with a really good sleep! No alarm, waking up to a big cup of tea and a cooked breakfast, and maybe giving the weekly paper's cryptic crossword a go.
With another cup of tea, camera slung over my shoulder, I'd head out to take a slow meander around our garden to observe whatever the garden wanted to reveal that day. It would be enough to spend all day in the garden, taking photos and soaking up nature & wildlife, though I wouldn't say no to a hike in the local forest with my husband.
Dinner with friends and family as the sun set - perhaps at the local-ish tavern that has a view out to the sea - would round the day off perfectly.
Tell us a secret to a simple life
I don't know if there is a 'secret' to a simple life; living simply comes down to small choices every day and a deep desire to really experience the moment.
What's the best advice you've ever been given/ read?
There have been two pieces of advice I have heard just today that came at exactly the right time, so in lieu of the best advice ever I will offer these.
First, from my husband, that the journey is what matters: going from A to B to C; if we all got to Z right away then life would be boring!
The other is from life coach & host of Zen Rodeo podcast, Inger Kenobi, who shared the saying: "No mud, no lotus". I love how she explains it as a back-and-forth relationship, with seasons in life when we feel stuck and seasons when we are blossoming - and they both exist simultaneously.
A book/ website or other resource everyone should read is...
I was gifted a copy of Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" in my early twenties and it became a foundation stone for my adult life. It is written in beautiful, slow prose and by its nature encourages self-reflection.
The second book I often return to is Paulo Coehlo's "The Alchemist" which helped me recognise my journey of self-discovery and knowledge was worthwhile, and that I really could trust my intuition.
One practice of your slow living life that you couldn't live without is...
Even before I recognised my slow living life for what it is, I could not ever live without access to a natural space to walk in solitude. Whether that be forest, coast, or just my own garden - being alone in nature is how I recalibrate in a space that feels nurturing and safe.
The biggest impact slow living has had on you is...
The biggest change I have made is a mental shift which was seeded in a counselling session and eventually established itself resolutely in my life. I used to beat myself up over not being as lively & outgoing as I perceived other people to be, or feeling tired and drained when I was young and should be doing 'all the things'. Naturally, the mental battle meant I was even more drained than ever! I finally came to accept that having downtime - which for me means solitude, and nature, and time for reflection - is simply a part of being me.
One thing people should do more of is...
I don't like should-isms! But if you twist my arm then I really think we all need to make more mindful decisions, rather than doing things because that's how it's always been done.
One thing people should do less of is...
Again, I feel a lot of resistance coming up around telling people what they should or shouldn't do. I think, deep down, we know what's right for us. So - what comes up when you consider what YOU should do less of?
Your favourite quote is...
Process, not product.
A piece of advice you'd give to your younger self...
Trust yourself.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to live a simple more intentional life?
Take some time to reflect on what a simple, more intentional life might look like for you. Why do you want this for yourself? Consider what can be omitted from your life and how you can gently, slowly introduce practices into your life - whether that be rituals like meditation, or learning to say no.
Remember it is a journey and experiment, and there's no one right way. Generally, if you feel good it is probably right for you; above all, trust your intuition.
A top tip is...
Start growing food! It immediately teaches you to slow down through the germination, the growth, and the changing of the seasons through to the harvest, preparation, cooking, and consuming. While renting, all I had was a rosemary plant on the front porch and a potted basil in the kitchen - it was a joyful slowness and a small connection between the environment and my body.
Tell us about the time in your life that you felt the most content
While I have bad days (and today was one of them) in the broader aspect I am the most content I have ever been in my life. Sitting outside and watching the birds, the butterflies, and the other wildlife we invite into our garden; noticing how our plants have grown or changed even on a weekly basis; soaking up all this activity and change and funneling it into my writing and photography practice; this is the life for me. I love that I have the opportunity to share what I notice and learn through my newsletter, and through my visual art.
The best thing someone has ever said to you
Gosh, I couldn't even begin to choose one thing! I am always appreciative of the kind and supportive words of encouragement I receive.
Your go to when you you want to be creative is...
When I'm feeling stuck creatively, I'll take myself out on an Artist's Date (in the style of Julia Cameron) usually to a gallery followed by coffee and a treat, and an opportunity to do some journalling. I also find that brainstorming really unlocks the mental walls I put up for myself and am a veteran brainstormer, using highlighters and crayons with colour-coded connecting lines everywhere.
When it all gets a bit much, how do you bring yourself back to calm?
A day to myself, preferably away from the clutter of home with its relentless reminders of things to be done. Last winter, unable to afford a holiday and still recovering from a bad case of Covid-19, I had an at-home retreat by confining myself to the guest room, buying some easy-to-prepare food, and completely blocking out my schedule for a couple of days. I spent the days doing yoga, journalling, and watching crappy television. It was one of the best things I did for myself!
Tell us about your biggest extravagance
My biggest extravagance is my camera, hands down! I first bought a DSLR camera in February 2020, which was an entry-level model AND secondhand as that was all I could afford. It soon became obvious that photography was a passion that was just waiting for its chance to see the light of day.
Eventually I upgraded to a more recent model with a lens more suited to the wildlife and nature niche I had grown to love. It was a significant investment but has paid off enormously, as photography has become an important part of my slow, observant life.
Share a journal prompt for readers to ponder
My journal prompt comes from an unexpected place: the book "Backyard Self Sufficiency" by Jackie French. While the book is a thorough and practical guide to growing your own food, it is in many ways a manifesto of the simple life. She encourages a daily reflection on "the most vivid and rewarding experiences of the day". Over time, this can provide great insight to what brings happiness and fulfilment for you, in the current season of your life.
A simple, beautiful memory you have is...
When we were little, my parents used to book a holiday home for a few days every year at the end of January. At one, which sat right on the edge of Lake Tarawera in the central North Island, there was a cherry tree just outside the window of my bedroom. I woke up to the sound of tūī singing their unique and beautiful song. It was the moment I realised that I wanted to live in a place where I could wake up to birdsong every single day.
One thing that makes life instantly better is...
A cup of tea! My current favourite is Earl Grey with cashew & almond milk.
A favourite recipe that everyone should try is...
Where I live, it's no exaggeration to say that plum trees grow like weeds. Most long-time residents will cut them down if they find them popping up in their backyard! The upshot is that we have a vast collection of plum sauce bottled over the few years we've lived here. And so, I have been experimenting with what they can be used for. My most successful experiment is one that always gets compliments from guests: adding a dollop of unsweetened plum sauce to my pizza base. It counters the tomato brilliantly, and adds an edge to any pizza.
Where can people find you online?
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Speak soon,
Take part in the series!
I’d really love to bring in other people to chat about their own personal experiences with parenting, neurodiversity, mental health, being a creative business owner, and slow living, or a mix of these (parenting neurodivergent children or creativity to help with your mental health, etc.). If you have a story to share about any of those, I’d love to speak to you about collaborating.
Below you’ll find some links to some very quick forms to fill out if you’d like to collaborate in an interview style, or, alternatively, if you have an idea for a guest post, then please DM me or reach out via email (findingsimpleandcalm@substack.com) to chat further.
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I agree, a cup of tea does make things better! 🤗💗
Zenobia was one of the first people I met on Substack. I enjoy reading about her connection to the land and seeing her beautiful wildlife photos.
I think what she said here is very important if we want to make lasting changes:
"Consider what can be omitted from your life and how you can gently, slowly introduce practices into your life - whether that be rituals like meditation, or learning to say no."