We recently had the chance to connect with Forrest Uden and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Forrest, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Our pup usually wakes me up with morning kisses and the urge to go outside, so we get out of bed and go outside together just as the sun is rising. My husband always takes care of breakfast, so I usually read or start some early work while I wait for breakfast and my morning matcha. I’ll do some light stretching or energy exercises. Then, we fill up watering cans from the rain barrel, always astutely aware of how little or how much it’s rained lately, and take them down to the garden. We check on the chickens, water the plants, spend some time outside, touching in with what’s alive down there.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a writer and film photographer, slowly developing a raw piece of land in western NC with my husband, our pup, and our six chickens. My writing is often prosaic and reflective. My film centers around travel and farming, the ways that we can document change or growth, how one builds a life. Most of my writing lives on my Substack, but I have some bigger projects I am working on – a screenplay, a book of poetry and photos.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I think that person and the one now have learned to build a bridge and reach each other. The younger version of me liked to sing on picnic tables, take walks alone and act out the stories I was writing in my head. She had big dreams and big visions, and while some of those have learned to ground themselves, there’s still a light of hope that drives most of what I do. I find it a comfort in the dark trials of living and witnessing what’s alive on the planet. My grandmother has always encouraged me to embrace my creativity and to stand firm in what I believe. It’s been a talisman of sorts that helps me know when I’m straying too far from myself.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Being sick at a young age was a quick way to confront the mortality of being human. I’m not sure my wounds are really healed, but they’re healing. I’m not sure we’re ever fully healed, it’s a journey that may or may not carry into the next life. Whether that’s in the soil or in the stars. But taking time to feel the experience, talking about it in therapy, to the trees, and being committed to letting that hurt part of me have a voice, to honor the things I learned and experienced, those have been healing steps. I’m certain that I’ve chosen to live an alternative life because of that time, because of facing death and seeing what really mattered to me. It comes with a price, but there’s a silver lining to most things.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think we sometimes forget to build context into our ideas, think about who our ideas can help or harm. It’s one thing to have a brilliant idea, and it’s another thing to take a step back, drop our humans lens for a moment, and think about all the people, the organisms, the ecosystems that might be impacted by our values and views. We often get in our own way. A brilliant idea is powerful, but that doesn’t make it worth pursuing.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Almost everything. Planting fruit and nut trees that won’t bear fruit for maybe 5-7 years. Taking slow steps to build something that will last, something that considers the ecosystems already here and happy. We lived without running water for a year and just caught rain water. We had a well dug only months ago and are beginning to setup the solar well pump. I think we like to measure progress in small increments, but the good kind of progress is the one that can only really be appreciated with a larger lens.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nascentfocus.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fonoire/
