Loose Leaf Notes

~ The following was published in  the November issue of Natural Awakenings of Southwest Virginia magazine

For two decades Floyd potter Jayn Avery lived completely off the grid. The country home where she and her partner raised their two daughters was built in 1929 by a local farmer for his bride’s parents. It had no electricity.  When Avery and her family moved in, it cost the same to install solar panels as it did to bring electric power to the house.  In keeping with the family’s interest in self-sufficiency, they chose solar power.  They grew food, raised goats, chopped wood for their woodstove, and kept their food cold in their spring box for years before purchasing their first gas powered refrigerator.

Today Avery, who lives with her two cats and is currently in between roommates, uses a combination of electric and solar power to meet her daily needs.  She still saves rainwater to water her garden and houseplants.  She has a composting toilet, uses handmade cloth drawstring bags for gift giving, and prefers thrift shopping to mall shopping and radio to T.V.  “I love reusing old things so they don’t get thrown in the landfill,” says Avery, who lives on a thirty acre homestead with four other families.

As the daughter of a Congregational minister, simplicity was instilled in Avery early.  “My father believed that living simply on a minimal income was a noble thing.  He believed in the humanitarian aspect of sharing resources, wealth, and the earth.” Avery recalls.

There were no Environmental Studies programs when Avery went to college.   At the Cornell University of Agriculture, she switched majors from Wildlife Conservation to Rural Sociology because she wanted to understand human’s relationship to nature.  “When I became an environmentalist I saw the scientific basis of my father’s belief.  I understood that we can’t all live on this earth at a high standard of living and have enough resources for everyone,” she says.

As a self-employed studio potter, Avery defines her own day, choosing how she spends her time, which she believes is a freedom that money can’t buy. “It’s physically hard but directly gratifying,” she says about her lifestyle.  After many years of out of town traveling to craft shows, she has recently simplified her life even more by staying close to home to earn her living. She sells her Blue Heron stoneware pottery at the Roanoke Market on Saturdays and works part time as a GED teacher.

“My interest in simple living has affected my philosophy as a potter.  It’s why I chose to make functional yet unique pieces that those of moderate income can afford,” Avery says. Her lace-impressed pots (using recycled lace) and large sculpture (using recycled polystyrene) are sold in local gift shops.

Avery’s no frills lifestyle might be viewed by today’s mainstream standards as “doing without,” but she doesn’t see it like that.  “I feel like one of the wealthiest people in the world.  I live in what I consider to be paradise, the beauty of Floyd County in a secluded little hollow surrounded by trees, flowers, birds, and fresh running water,” she says.

As a simple living devotee, Avery has learned to make the distinction between what is needed and what is desired.  Her advice to others interested in living more simply is simple. “Find more satisfaction in life experiences rather than in material things,” she says.        ~ Colleen Redman

~ Visit Jayn’s website HERE.