Jess's Bio

I grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland with my parents and younger brothers. As I was growing up, my family life was very nurturing and supportive - I believe I owe a great deal to my parents for both the intensity of my devotion to the things that I value as well as the ability to pursue those interests. Directly after high school I went to a small liberal arts college in Maine where I studied Environmental Studies and Philosophy. After school I still didn't know what direction to start walking to pursue my dreams…I had spent four years analyzing my values and beliefs, but I had hardly begun to internalize the things that I had realized on an intellectual level. In addition, I was overwhelmed with the number of compelling things to do that would help this planet and the people on it (as if being independent and having the ability to do anything wasn't enough to be overwhelmed by.)

I spent a year and a half trying things that appealed to my interests - working for a non-profit that conserves land on the coast of Maine and teaching 6th graders outdoor education in Oregon. But nothing fully gripped me, largely because it wasn't enough to be investing long hours at "work" towards environmental awareness and conservation when my personal life was still overwrought with consumption and waste. I didn't have the time outside of my various employment experiences to grow my own food, indulge in the various arts and crafts projects I enjoy, and pursue deep interpersonal relationships. I was full of ideas of how I wanted to spend my time, both in work and play, yet I hadn't been able to make it a reality the way I was living.

I found passion for life when I came to Dancing Rabbit. I'm finding that the dichotomy between what you do for fun and what you do for "work" does not have to exist. Everything I do here is just a part of my living experience; it's fun because I make it fun. Most of the time the "work" I do is what I would want to be doing whether or not it was contributing to my income and/or meeting my basic needs.

I guess I should be thrilled that it only took me 24 years to get to this place, but I still feel like I have a ton of catching up to do. Everyday I learn something new - whether it's through working on the alternative building projects, cooking with a diverse assortment of vegetables and grains that I'm not familiar with, getting in touch with the rhythms of the seasons and how they affect me, or engaging in intellectual discussions around current events or our non-conventional lifestyles - I am constantly challenged and inspired by this wholesome communal environment.

I intend to be here as long as I am happy here and can continue to live by my ideals. DR's success as a demonstration project for sustainable ecological community is very important to me. I joined the subcommunity of Skyhouse in order to devote more of my time to promoting DR projects as well as living with like-minded folk.