{"id":1182,"date":"2015-03-09T00:03:02","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T06:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mops.org\/2015\/03\/09\/wildflowers-an-interview-with-joy-prouty\/"},"modified":"2015-03-09T00:03:02","modified_gmt":"2015-03-09T06:03:02","slug":"wildflowers-an-interview-with-joy-prouty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wildflowers-an-interview-with-joy-prouty\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildflowers: An Interview with Joy Prouty"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"BasicParagraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/wildflowersphotos.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joy Prouty<\/a> draws out brilliance in those around her. She is brave with her own story so others can be brave with theirs. She captures the beauty she sees in her life with her camera. She lives an inspiring story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"BasicParagraph\">Joy and her husband, Donny, longed for a different pace of life, a simplified pace. They longed for a pace that breathed life into their family, their marriage and their children. They wanted for something good for the soul and body. Two months after their youngest was born, and after much planning, they sold their house in Southern California and hit the road for 9 months in a 120-square foot trailer before settling on a farm in Washington State.<\/p>\n<p class=\"BasicParagraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mops.org\/images\/cms_images\/wildflowers-1.jpg&quot; \/&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;BasicParagraph&quot;&gt;How did you make space for all six family members in 120 square feet?&lt;\/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joy: Each child had their own drawer and they could only have what fit in that drawer. If we brought something new in, we would have to give something away. We remodeled our trailer with bunk beds in the back so they could have their own space. But truly, we learned we didn\u2019t need space from one another.&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;center&quot; title=&quot;&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>So traveling turned out to be a way to reconnect?<\/h3>\n<p>Joy: We were all in such close quarters we could not allow a fight to continue. We would have to work it out in a really calm, nurturing way. We had to learn how to be incredibly good at communicating with one another.<\/p>\n<h3>How did you land in Washington?<\/h3>\n<p>Joy: The whole time we were traveling, the kids were just dreaming of the animals they would have at their farm one day. We had visited friends out here, and we really loved it. I didn\u2019t really know you could ever live in a place that had big trees and fresh mountain air. It was this less expensive, more organic, simple way of life.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mops.org\/images\/cms_images\/wildflowers-3.jpg&quot; \/&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Farm living is the life for the Proutys?&lt;\/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joy: We can really grow anything and our whole goal was to really try and be self-sufficient. Right now we have 58 chickens, five sheep, three barn cats and a mini-horse. We also have six ducks to help eat the slugs out of our garden. We planted an acre of an organic garden and with our eggs, various other wild berries we have on the property, we don\u2019t need to go to the grocery store much. I had never experienced seasons before. Winter felt like it was giving me permission to rest. I always felt guilty that I was inside when the sun was shining. I never had a reason to hunker down and really do some soul searching to deal with the stuff we\u2019d been numb to for so many years.&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;center&quot; title=&quot;&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>How is life in Washington different?<\/h3>\n<p>Joy: When we got to Washington, it hit us that we didn\u2019t have any family nearby. I really miss my mom so much. We\u2019ve had to learn how to put roots down. I felt like I had to find a school, church, friends, playgroup, a network to build my business, and figure out how to farm. It was really overwhelming. This simple life is not very simple. It\u2019s a full-time gig.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mops.org\/images\/cms_images\/wildflowers-5.jpg&quot; \/&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Did you feel brave while you were replanting into farm life?&lt;\/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joy: Traveling felt exhilarating! But the real bravery is when you get to your final destination, and it doesn\u2019t feel like home. Being brave is continuing to find the good, every day, in every situation. I feel like it\u2019s even braver to find a way to make normal life just as special without it having to be a great adventure.&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;center&quot; title=&quot;&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>How do you help your kids be brave?<\/h3>\n<p>Joy: I try not to hover too much, to give them freedom to explore. I try to nurture their curiosities. We really believe in fanning a flame that is already burning in the way we talk to them and the things we try and instill in them. For example, my daughter Gracie is a very reserved introvert who feels so much inside. We\u2019ve found the animals are therapeutic to her. She flourishes around them and nurturing this curiosity has helped her thrive.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mops.org\/images\/cms_images\/wildflowers-7.jpg&quot; \/&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;How have you created a sense of family identity?&lt;\/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joy: We had to figure out what we wanted out of life. If we didn\u2019t have to work, if money wasn\u2019t an issue \u2014 what is the beautiful life we would want our children to remember? Both Donny and I figured out we wanted it to be a life of simplicity. That meant togetherness and being honest with one another. For us that meant a life in the country. It\u2019s my husband\u2019s dream to buy a plot of land and for him to be able to build our family home. That\u2019s a dream we are working towards. Our identity, in a sense, is taking small steps toward a big dream. Some people feel we\u2019re living a dream right now, but this is our normal life. Yes, this life is beautiful, but we have just now scratched the surface.&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;center&quot; title=&quot;&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>How do the things you\u2019ve learned in your journey translated to your creative work?<\/h3>\n<p>Joy: <a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/joyprouty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">My photography<\/a> has kind of evolved. Being honest about my own story gives my clients comfort to be able to open up about theirs and to embrace their brokenness, perhaps, in a way they might not have before. I think my own personal vulnerabilities in sharing in social media has been a part of that. Women, I believe, become brave by seeing other women be vulnerable and embrace the cracks. When I feel broken, I\u2018m not hesitant to share about that, and about where I find hope. When I shoot pictures, my goal is to be able to show my clients hope where they may not see it themselves.<\/p>\n<h3>What have you learned from being on social media?<\/h3>\n<p>Joy: There\u2019s no such thing as balance. It\u2019s an unattainable thing. You\u2019re doing so much better than you think you are when you feeling like you\u2019re failing. If you\u2019re continually trying to make each day better than the last then you\u2019re not failing at all \u2014 you\u2019re doing it right.<\/p>\n<hr \/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joy Prouty draws out brilliance in those around her. She is brave with her own story so others can be brave with theirs. She captures the beauty she sees in her life with her camera. She lives an inspiring story. Joy and her husband, Donny, longed for a different pace of life, a simplified pace. 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