Art as activism with Brenna Quinlan

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If you’ve spent any time in the permaculture and climate activism spaces online over the past few years, you’ve no doubt come across the work of illustrator and permaculture educator, Brenna Quinlan. Brenna takes complex, overwhelming topics (think decolonising permaculture, doughnut economics, privilege and regenerative disobedience) and presents them in a simple, accessible and - most importantly - positive way.

This conversation lands at such an opportune time, as so many of us are feeling overwhelmed (once again) by the challenges of our ever-changing world. Brenna has a way of reframing things so that we can focus on positive solutions rather than negative doom-scrolling, and if there's something we all need right now, it's positivity.

In this chat, Brenna shares where her interest in permaculture began, and what the three guiding principles of ‘earth care, people care, fair share’ mean to her. Brooke and Brenna talk about the distinction between creativity as work versus creativity as play and why she believes art and education are two of the most powerful forms of activism.

They also discuss:

The bike trip across the Americas that began Brenna's relationship with permaculture and activism
Using art as a way of teaching kids about positive climate solutions
What an ‘intentional community’ is and what it’s like to live in one
Living in a converted firetruck and building a strawbale house
The importance of gentle activism and what to do when it gets too heavy

Enjoy!

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