In my own personal effort to live more ethically, I’ve been introduced to so many people & brands that support living more slowly. It’s through the Lady Farmer that I have been inspired to cultivate a more sustainable and simplistic home now.
Earlier this year, I was approached by Mary from The Lady Farmer and I was given an early copy of their new book, Guide to Slow Living. I appreciated this statement in the Slow Spaces portion of the book “The purpose of this book is to help your slow living in your current space – one moment at a time” (from page 87) which helped me feel like this book was for me.
Several steps we’ve taken to live a more slow life within our current space including having a patio garden and beginning our 5 gallon compost bin. Which I’m truly proud of. I’ve also taken up mending of clothes, even with my imperfect sewing skills. In the Guide for Slow Living, author Mary Kingsley walks readers through 3 specific areas; Food, Fashion, and Space.
I was particularly interested in the Slow Fashion portion of the book, as an ethical fashion blogger might be. Mary gives a decent amount of history that is easy for readers unfamilar with the subject to understand. She provides definitions and awareness for readers who are curious about making changes to their lifestyle. I believe her Slow Fashion portion of the book is a great introduction to the subject of ethical fashion.
In the Slow Food portion of the book, Mary goes into great detail of what slow food is and how we can incorporate more of it into our lives. She encourages readers to grow their own food, sharing about their own garden and the struggles & joys that come with it as well as buying local. She goes into detail on understanding labels and which foods are easy to grow from home, as well as recipes and tips for cooking.
Finally in Slow Spaces, Mary reiterates my own personal opinions of space. Visual clutter leads to mental clutter. She encourages awareness in the present, I don’t own a home or a farm. Instead, I’m learning to do slow living from a 2 bedroom apartment in a city. What that looks like for me will be different for you. After our many many moves over the years, I have become a firm believer in less is more, but I do tend to hold on to my sentimental pieces. Slow spaces encompasses everything from closet clutter to recipes for home cleaners. This felt like such a broad category for the material but appreciated the authors ability to be concise and understandable.
At the end of each section, she provides reflections for readers. With questions and actions for you to take. Her list of resources is robust and a resource of it’s own!
To tell you how much I learned from this book would require a book of its own. If you are looking to making changes to a slower lifestyle, I recommend Guide to Slow Living.
Stylishly Shelby 