One of the undergirding suppositions of this whole adventure is that our living place effectively defines not simply our life but, very significantly, our self -- we are our environment. To design our place of living is to, in a strong way, design ourself. We can say something similar of our neighbors, colleagues, friends, and companions. Who we surround ourself with really matters. It fundamentally influences all the curves of normalcy that we walk around with, and against which we measure ourself and the world -- to say nothing of the emotional space we collectively create. The quote is, "We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with." So, who are we?
We are personally non-dogmatic, largely vegetarian, drug-free, good at heart, and mostly inclined to the simple and the natural. We are committed to attempt a working presence and to work the muscle of the goodness of our heart.
We recognize that these inclusions are simultaneously exclusive, and that we hold them for the utility of the community and the prospect of synergy, not as a measure of any one's being. That is to say, some of the best people we have ever known probably do not meet these criteria, and we pause at both holding them out and not pulling them in, and also at the very nature of restriction; yet we do filter because it permits the building of something beyond the least common denominator.
In zooming in, we are:
Non-dogmatic : We are for a measured openness and flexibility in thought, being open-minded without letting our brains fall out. An inflexible and coercive intellectual framework does not allow for personal evolution, nor for friends.
Largely vegetarian : In this corner of the universe, we have life, and this life flows through itself in the most amazing ways, through kingdoms and species, and un-esoterically out of earth, air, fire, and water. There is nothing unnatural to this flow of life. There is nothing unnatural about the animal consumption of plant and animal. Life and death are bound to each other, inseparably; and the attempt to remove death from our life, by turns greater and greater, comes to remove life itself from our living.
Yet, knowing this, while push does not come to shove, some of us would prefer to not unnecessarily kill other sentient animals. And so we won't. Whether it's a bug or a feature of the heart -- and not as an answer to what we feel for the world, but as a response -- we choose to live and let live. Yet, beneath this we recognize that it is not death, not even harm, which we should truly recognize, but the acting heart, and whether it moves out of grace and love. We do not judge anyone for what goes into their mouth, not even ourselves.
The uniquely vegetarian kitchen and farm is a utilitarian solution to a community small in size, perhaps a shared preference for the food at our table, and the attempt at synergy and the promise of coordination. But it cannot be -- and a true farm, and the lessons it gives do not permit it to be -- a dogma or neat line that one does not cross. It is a leaning. At times life will pull us into death, because, of course, that is as it is.
Drug-free : We choose for our own person and community to live without drugs or any mind-altering substances, including alcohol. We understand that our mind alters, whether it be from a moment in time, food, sleep, genetics, our own history, or the smell of pie in the air. Our mind alters, yet we choose for ourselves and our community to live free of the strength of the particular alteration of drugs.
Good at heart, and Working the muscle of the goodness of our heart : We are capable of doing and feeling anything a human can do or feel. We are lucky and blessed to do and feel good. May we always be so lucky ... because we and our lives have and will change. For the functioning of the community -- and for the individual heart of all of us -- it is just plain nicer to live with folks who are good to us and to themselves, who are good -- good -- at heart. Sometimes this goodness is light and fresh and young. Sometimes it is deep and earned, through whatever it is we had to go through to appreciate the nature of grace. In either case, good is good.
This is not to reject or create any kind of shadow self or other -- it is not to repress -- but merely to speak aloud a kind of preference and vow. We believe in being good. It is our work and commitment -- to ourselves and to each other -- to work the muscle of the goodness our heart. It is in our choices that we make the world, and how good a world, community, and life we could make if -- when it were truly a choice and not simply a reflex -- we choose to be good. We get lots of chances to fail that choice, which makes its sweetness that much sweeter.
Largely simple & natural : As a kind of tenet, we hold that our human being does best -- and likes it best -- in its natural setting. Natural air, water, heat, light, and food -- you know, nature -- is good for us. Often enough, the life that comes out of this connection to nature is called "simple". That's a tricky word, but here we just mean that living close to the land and seasons is its own kind of sufficiency, and leads to both a satisfaction with what comes naturally, and a simplification of what one has in one's life. We work to be spacious enough to take the outdoor bedroll and its stars in balance with the house and its walls. We also are ever wary of in extremis, and so do not push ourselves nor anyone else to a naked, empty-handed simplicity.
A working presence : We are not exactly a monastery, with our families and children and jobs and movies perceptually counter to the vespers or chanting of the nuns and monks. But perhaps a monastery is simply a cooperative group of folks with a certain kind of smile that comes from the practice of presence. That's where they begin, and so do we. And why practice presence? Because somewhere along the way we discovered that we weren't dead yet, that we were still alive, and we said it'd be nice to be there for that. It's a "working" presence because it's easier to conceive of and attempt the risen ape than the fallen angel.
Our ateliers / studios / workshops can function as a multi-generational add-on for those looking to live with their children or parents, but with a little breathing room, as the zoning permits. If a household does not require the full extent of the atelier, the design expects a partition to facilitate this. Having a diversity of ages almost inherently provides a diversity of constitution, perspective, and skill. We should encourage this for the health of the whole system.
As mentioned while defining "the commons", at base, our aim is that we are fundamentally happy and in love with our work. We hope that our work makes the world more good and beautiful. And we -- or, most of us -- want to do this from a home studio, an atelier. Additionally, there are professions which help others to live at human scale, and some of those are highlighted here.
We have approximately 16 slots to fill -- assuming two working adults in each household -- though multi-generational households can offer more, and some of the work can be done seasonally, providing overlap between vocations. That said, expect that some of the households will check two or more of the below boxes.
More Critical
Farming (2-3-7 total) : We are looking for some 3 co-owning managers to run the main farm : Vegetables (1 ac.), Small Fruits (1+ ac.), Tree Fruits (1+ ac.), Flowers -- and/or the reincarnation of Monty Don for the middle-ground -- Haying, Sheep & Wool, Bees & Honey, Christmas Trees, and perhaps Staples. If we have enough slots in the mix, we would love a Seeds & Trees mission (+2-3). That is a pretty
A Note on Experience : I recognize that the entry cost is not in the cards for a large number of farmers, even those with partners with non-farm jobs. I also recognize that some folks with the funds have a strong desire to farm, but both no real work history AND a caution that keeps them from just doing it by themselves. To that end, I would be excited to help a non-farmer grow into the life (though my expertise is limited to vegetables and small fruits with fair experience in small trees and flowers). I would also be a little terrified, as the first year of farming is a nearly critical crucible in turning some into ash, OR into a glorious glowing friend. The thing is, you never know who someone's going to be until the end of that first year. That said, I can offer little help on the sheep front, and I would love a more experienced orchardist.
Cooking : Food Procurement, Preparation, and Preservation (<=1) : Community cooking / catering in an ayurvedic vein -- here recognizing the oxymoronic nature of "group" in the context of the instantaneously and individually specific ayurvedic lens. The folks involved and weekly hours are dependent upon the decision we make on meals together outside of household rotation and potlucks.
Education (0-2) : If we have enough -- money, desire, children, age overlap, and pedagogical consensus -- then we can make a sort of home-school tutor-based educational cooperative that supplements the parental hours. See "the context" for other educational options -- namely the Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm -- that obviate this need.
Builder / General Contractor (1) : To oversee the details of construction, particularly if we attempt to largely self-build. Must be comfortable and experienced with the building code and all components of residential construction -- from foundation to roof, interior to exterior, electric to plumbing, etc. -- even if merely contracting a part out. Importantly, must be more than comfortable -- in fact, excited -- to work with non-traditional yet engineered framing and building options, such as EcoCocon and Faswall. Many of us -- farmers, builders, and whatnot -- may have a fair amount of construction experience, but swiftly navigating code and the best available option in a crux are not our forte. One way to afford this project is via sweat equity. We ought to have enough group competency to fill-in large to very large chunks of the necessary work; we just need the conductor.
Less Critical, But Strongly Desired : In fact, these are just the businesses I want to start.
Human Transport (3-5-6 total) : as a worker or producer cooperative, or an umbrella curator, etc.
Wooden Bicycles (1-3) : Like Montauk Hardwood Bicycles, Connor Wood Bicycles, Sojourn Cyclery, or Materia Bikes.
Wooden Kayaks, Canoes, Paddleboards, and Open Water Skulls (1-2) : Like Timber Boatworks, Guillemot Kayaks, Clearwood Paddleboards, and a wooden version of Echo Rowing.
Wooden Boats, otherwise (1-2) : Like Bear Mountain Boats.
Anything else regarding bikes, boats, pack animals, and people.
Ecological Community Design (0-3-6) : To facilitate the design and construction of the physical basis for human paced, cooperative, ecological living, including neighborhood in-fill and retrofit. This isn't required, but wouldn't it be rad? In the vein of Caddis Collaborative, Village Habitat Design, Farmer D, and Studio CoHab.
Wilderness & Wildness Recalibration : Wilderness Rite-of-Passage, Vision Quest, and Guide in the Adirondacks and on Lake Champlain, probably seasonal (1-2-3). Zoning may limit the on-site options, but the area itself is rich in potential : Like Animas Valley Institute, Vermont Wilderness Rites, and The Center for the Great Turning, but its own thing.
The Drippy Bucket List / The Hyphenated-self
Luthier
Letterpress-er
Two-seater ultralight pilot and/or and Hot air balloonist
Qi-gong expert
Lawyer
Accountant
Naturopathic or Ayurvedic Doctor (w/ MD too?)
Local Foods Grocery, Kitchen, and Living Room Co-manager
You, who are not the above listed
The most critical component to success of this community and our life is the quality of the people we surround ourselves with -- the personnel. After farmer, anyone, really, can fit in here. What matters is that we're good at heart and hopefully great at living. My idiosyncratic sense of goodness and beauty -- paddling on a Sunday morning Lake Champlain in a wooden kayak, and giving that to the world, for example -- does not have to be the narrow gate presented above. Expand my vision. But, while I'm dreaming here, let me throw my dreams out and see what comes back.