View from the Porch

As a creative and adventurous spirit, I’ve never been afraid of chaos or to get a bit messy. My upbringing really reinforced this. My grandparents had a 40-acre farm that was also the home of a doll manufacturing business. So, whether it was learning how to jug (country-style fishing) with chicken liver, or bedazzling my own, hand-sewn pajamas (ok, I lie, hand glue-gunned), time on the ‘doll farm’ was always a big, messy play day. It was also a business, so it makes sense that my own creative business origin story starts there, when my grandpa gave me a camera at 12. Today, Porch, my boutique communications firm, honors that legacy. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: rebranding to the name “Porch” in 2021 was a business move, but it was also a way to cement a recipe I learned the summer of 2020 that I never wanted to forget; one for peace.

Prior to 2020, most of my attention was on my small business. At this point, I had been in the driver’s seat of my entrepreneurial career since 2013, starting 2 businesses, choosing to scale one, and acquiring another. I also learned about burnout and found myself without the ability to slow down. This brought me a lot of mental anguish and chaos, and not the fun kind.

Of all years, 2019 was a year of extra hustle. It felt like I was pushing a boulder up a hill and had my eye on the peak, just waiting for that moment I could release and let it roll down. I had built a great team. We were working on processes. New clients were coming in big time, and we had just started talking about a rebrand, one to match our new identity. It really seemed like things were coming together and then, well, we all experienced 2020 and have a story of when the earth stood still.

Stillness was something my overworked self longed for, but didn’t quite know how to achieve.

A few years into my self-employed status, I started to double down on my mental, emotional and spiritual health. I think most entrepreneurs and leaders find themselves at that impasse: in order to grow the things you want, you have to grow and change yourself. So when we were forced into stillness, a quiet longing to return to the farm whispered to me. I seized the moment, packed a few things up, including my two pups, and headed down to a roughly 500sqft studio outside of my grandma’s house. The business was not really in operation, but most of the inventory and materials were all still in the factories. Of course, there was also roughly 200 acres of combined family space. I was excited and extremely grateful, and so were the dogs.

Leading an in-person, professional service business through COVID was tough. I quickly let go of the plans and strategies for scaling, because those new clients and sales pipelines dried up. My team downsized and went remote. I was back in my playpen. Like so many, the work from home lifestyle afforded me new luxuries of self care. Mine included fishing at sunset, yoga on the dock in the mornings, and overall just slowing down to a different pace of life. For the first time, I really put myself as the top priority instead of work, non-profit volunteering, or other people.

Pretty much most of the women I know are terrible at putting their own needs first, often being caretakers of others. That, and we get burdened for so much we don’t get compensated for. I was finally breaking that cycle.

I didn’t quite know what universal ingredients made up the recipe for peace that summer, but I felt a deeper sense of it than I had in a long time. I tasted it. When it came time to rebrand, I chose the name Porch. This was a nod to my own stories on the porch at the farm. It was also a reminder to slow down and remember what real peace is like, even if the scenery changes, which it did when the farm sold in August 2020.

For me, peace makes a home in my heart when I am living in alignment with purpose and gratitude. Living purposefully gives me a sense of freedom, accountability, and being present. When I feel solid on my path, I am much more secure in myself. I then have an easier time surrendering to life and the natural flow of it, including the ups and downs. I also really love to slow down and never be too far away from stillness. This way, I don’t miss those moments that tell me if I’m living with purpose and gratitude, or if I’m straying off to please my ego or some other, lesser need.

I am so grateful I made my summer of 2020 one to purposefully take care of myself. That really raised my standards and showed me that when I am whole, everything else I do is done more wholeheartedly. This has been particularly helpful while facing new challenges and levels of messiness as society changes.

It really raises the question; how do you create peace in times of chaos? Here are a few ways I now design and create peace in my life.

Maintain a healthy perspective

I’d imagine if you’re a MORE Magazine reader, you’re a growth oriented person, seeking enrichment. Growth is something that can easily disrupt your peace because it’s change, and most humans don't naturally change gracefully. I have found that growth should be measured to maintain perspective. It helps to compare yourself to yourself, not others. It’s also useful to reflect, refine, and practice gratitude for the journey.

Nourish your spirit

This one is the most fun for me, personally, and the biggest lessons from the farm. A sense of play, creativity, nature, and beauty are things that all nourish my spirit and help keep me in a state of wonderment for living. Cooking, getting nerdy with my assortment of teas, hikes in the woods, and a wide array of art and culture are things that keep my energy up enough to maintain a healthy perspective and gratitude. It’s a fun adventure to go on if you don’t know what nourishes your own spirit. I recommend trying everything, and keeping only what you love.

Meditation

Big surprise here. I can tell you that I consider meditation to be when my mind can easily hold the boundaries of my thoughts and stillness occupies my brain. This allows for mental rest and I move into my body and spirit for other kinds of care. On the farm this looked like photography at sunset and chasing light until darkness. I also love yoga, but my favorite ways to quickly meditate are posting up in a headstand or throwing clay on the wheel. Bonus points because both help me maintain a healthy perspective and are playful. There is something about seeing the world upside down that makes it all seem less intimidating, and if you aren’t feeling centered, it’s hard to center clay.

Live, unapologetically

Be you, 1000%. I feel like the word “authenticity” gets thrown around a lot. To me, it’s one of those words that has started to lose its meaning because it’s spoken so often. I prefer the instructions to keep it real. Whatever, wherever you are - be there and don’t apologize. We all only get one life and it’s not only OK to make mistakes, it’s how we learn (and please do learn, even if it takes a few tries). I always loved the quote from Nicolas Cage’s character, Ronny, in Moonstruck, “We’re not here to make things perfect. Snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us.” I, personally, tend to live most unapologetically with the way I dress, how I care about people, my confidence as a creative entrepreneur, and that I’m always up for an adventure.

I think another way to look at a path to personal peace is radical self care. As a term rooted in activism and social justice, it makes sense that those who aim to create a bit of chaos in the name of love and growth, know how to find peace within conflict. To me, that’s the art of living and you can't do much better than that.

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By Heather Brodgen