Slow Spotlight: Rachel Shenk
So many people have inspired me on my own journey towards living a slower, simpler and more seasonal life, and I’d love you to be inspired too. The Slow Spotlights series shares with you some of their journeys, and I hope that by reading about these, you too may be inspired and encouraged.
A huge thank you to Rachel Shenk for sharing more about her own journey towards a slower and simpler life below.
From my birth and childhood in Belgium, with detours to Spain and Scotland, through my years as an artisan baker in a small midwestern U.S. town, there are stories to tell, small details to observe. I write a weekly column, La Bonne Vie, that covers varied topics. I’m also currently a cheesemonger at our local farmers’ market where I continue to sell bread and pastries.
I’m a traveller, a reader, a block printer, and I’m always up for cooking a delicious meal and sharing it with friends. My partner, Jim, is a lifelong luthier of guitars and mandolins, as well as an all-round woodworker, artist and musician.
We have lost so much history, and so many trades and skills from the textile industry, swamped by cheap imports and the quick-fix, throwaway culture we have created. We have changed from a country where the ethos was low consumption of high quality goods, made within the local areas by local craftsmen, to the ethos of high consumption of mass-produced, poor quality goods imported from another country, which we dispose of in the blink of an eye. Somehow, we need to change the way we view things and revert to a more sustainable way of life.
When did you first become aware that you craved a slower and simpler approach to life?
My partner and I were both influenced by the back-to-the-earth movement. My passion is bread-making, his is building guitars. As we sought to make a living from our crafts, we discovered that society didn’t accommodate our livelihoods very well. We created our own way to live that embraced simplicity, slow living, or what I call, focused living, that naturally follows the seasonal rhythms. Baking bread and building stringed instruments both require time. They are crafts that are hands-on and use a sense of intuition. We both love the processes that are needed to get to the final product.
What does living slowly, simply and seasonally mean to you?
It means being aware of the smallest changes around me and focusing on the process rather than the outcome. It means paying attention to the natural world and its cycles and using those as guidelines rather than human created ones. It means paring down to what really matters in this life: respect for nature and each other, appreciation for what we are given, and acknowledgment of our frailty.
How does living in this way have a positive impact on your life?
We’ve discovered a freedom in this way of living. Society as a whole does not encourage the simple life, but since we’ve chosen this path, we live outside of those social constraints. We go at our own pace and feel little pressure to follow societal expectations.
Are there elements of living in this way that challenge you?
To some, living simply can seem time-consuming and hard, but since we love the processes involved, we thrive in those settings. A good example is our outdoor wood-fired oven which we fire up at least once a week. It takes a good hour to get it up to temperature and that’s time where we sit and enjoy the outdoors, and it naturally slows us down. And then the food that comes out of it is way more delicious than out of our kitchen gas oven. The whole process is an experience; it’s not just about the food. But some would question the time involved.
Are there any books, websites or other resources which have helped you and which you’d recommend to others?
The More with Less cookbook was a staple in our home for a simple, thoughtful way to eat.
What is one piece of advice you would give to others looking to embrace a slower, simpler and more seasonal approach to life.
Living the simple life can be a lonely affair. You will need to often rely on yourself alone. You must have a solid sense of who you are, and the passion to embark on this path, so that when the going gets tough, your dreams will keep you grounded. It will be worth it.
How do you embrace slow, simple and seasonal living within your business and/or work?
Ultimately, it’s about being attentive to the process rather than the outcome. As a baker, I’ve focused on quality rather than quantity. Rather than turning the work over to machines, I look at it as a craft that I can continually improve on. I love having my hands in the dough and seeing it become bread. And I love how the seasons dictate what bread varieties will enhance others’ lives. We also don’t let our work take over our day-to-day. We take time off as needed so we come back refreshed. Time off increases our creativity and our stamina for the hard work of living.
Do you think your approach to life can challenge others? Is slow living easy to stereotype?
Others have often told us that our way of living inspires them and nudges them to rethink their lifestyle choices.
How do you think the past can help us live with more awareness in the present?
Both of our crafts come out of generations before us, generations of bakers and luthiers. They give us respect for our place in the world and how we see ourselves in it. We know we aren’t working in a vacuum but rather continuing on century-long traditions.
If you could choose one word, phrase or quote which sums up your approach to life, what would it be?
Creativity
You can find out more about Rachel and her approach to life over on her Substack publication, La Bon Vie, and you can also follow her on Instagram.
All images © Rachel Shenk
