Introduction: Sophie Browner
I applied for this fellowship because…
I applied for this fellowship because I have been seeking to understand and work towards a vision of the world that inspires me. I have ever-changing ideas of what this future could look like: It always includes community, a close relationship to the food we’re growing, vulnerability, and personal responsibility. I often ask myself if some version of this future is possible in our polarized and disconnected culture where these values hold such little importance. How do we get there? In this fellowship, I hope to answer these questions through learning together, observing, feeling, and working to create a meaningful alternative life on our own scale.
I am seeking the practical skills and mentorship to take the next steps in the world of agriculture, and inspiration from regenerative farming, community centered life, and land based crafts, to spread this knowledge and bridge the world I grew up in with the world I hope to help create. I hope to surround myself with people who view small-scale organic farming as revolution– a community whose members encourage each other to look deep within ourselves, our culture, and our relationship to the earth–to both answer questions and create new ones. I hope to find strength to go against the grain, even when it feels huge and isolating. Groundwork’s mission fills me with hope. I can already feel the air I’m breathing– a little bit fresher, my heart a little more open, and the world I’m envisioning a little bit clearer.
What does community mean to me…
Intentional community is one of the aspects of the fellowship that I am most excited about! My experiences with communal living have opened up my world to new levels of vulnerability, compassion, and belonging. To me, community feels like being a part of a social ecosystem where everything has its ebb and flow. When someone expresses burn out, stress, or just a hard day, fellow community members can pull the extra weight, make a cup of tea, listen, and hold space. In a society where we are encouraged to be hyper-independent, these moments feel quite radical. Tasks like cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning, which can sometimes feel like chores, suddenly become infused with meaning as acts of love and care when carried out for community.
What interests me in simple living and rural/farm life…
I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and went to college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so I had mostly known cities and suburbs up until this last year. Last year, I worked on a few different farms, living in yurts/tents through the seasons. Living through the elements, the lightness of summer and darkness of winter and the patterns of it all gave me a newfound sense of what it means to be alive and a part of an ecosystem. City life invites us to put our headphones in and block out our environment as we hustle and rush through our week. My favorite part of community/farm living is just being able to let down these walls– to embrace the intimacy and connections with our friends, neighbors, and the land we inhabit. I hope to continue to grow my relationship with nature in this beautiful landscape– to learn from the river and the budding trees and the living and dying that surrounds me on microscopic and colossal levels. I hope to continue my journey to disconnect from screens and plug into the present, ground myself with hard, meaningful work, and savor the beauty that these gifts bring.