Jess Davis is leading the analog rebellion

PodcastSeason 1
Written By

Dane Deaner

Most of the time I think the gently-gently, whatever-works-for-you approach is the best way to spread the message of slow living. Because, really, it is about your life and how you feel in the living of it, and what works for others isn’t always going to be relevant. But then there are times where we need a swift and friendly kick up the butt to get our attention. A kind-hearted and direct reminder that mindlessness, or over-consumption, or endless scrolling is having a negative impact on our lives. 

Folk Rebellion is that reminder. Founded by former digital brand strategist, Chief Rebel and today's guest, Jess Davis, Folk Rebellion is a call to arms for all of us to get off our phones, look people in the eye when we talk to them and live an analog life; do things with our hands, go hiking, start making, listen to a whole album on vinyl.Jess is an unapologetic advocate for getting the hell off our devices and getting into life, and this episode follows on nicely from our recent Monday series about social media and is a continuation of the theme of the relationship between technology and distraction.While working as a digital brand strategist, Jess started to realise the impact her tech dependent life was having on her brain. She found herself losing focus, struggling with memory and feeling disassociated, and went to see doctors about these issues. After a tech intervention by her husband on a holiday to Hawaii, she felt a shift. Eight days of no technology meant she started to feel like her old self again, and this triggered a series of massive shifts and changes Jess has since made to her life.In this episode, I chat with Jess about about how to get people on board with changes, thoughts on digital detox, insight into Jess’ daily routine with technology, changing expectations around technology and availability as well as slow living in the city.

“The fax machine stayed at the office - you didn’t take that home with you. If people wanted to get a hold of you after work, they called your house phone, and no one wanted to call your house phone and interrupt your family dinners. The work waited until you went back the next day.” - Jess

We also talk about an exciting new Folk Rebellion project; the launch of an IRL, old-school, paper newspaper called Rebel Times. Delivered to your door, featuring long form pieces and a throwback to the funny pages, this monthly publication is coming out in January 2018. Check out @folkrebellion on Instagram or go to folkrebellion.com to stay posted or find out how to get involved.

——

Head over to iTunes to subscribe to the show and play the episode.

Or you can listen to the show directly, simply by hitting the Play button above. Enjoy!

——

Things to Check Out After Today’s Episode:

Keep Listening:

Support the Show:

You may have heard that we recently hit 3 million (!!) downloads of The Slow Home Podcast! Not only does that fact blow my mind, it's also thanks to your lovely self and the community of people who listen to the show every week, send in your questions and offer your feedback. I'm so grateful you're here and part of this, and for anyone who has supported the show in any way over the past year - thank you so much.If you do love the show and would like to show your support by becoming a patron, head over here to make a small monthly donation (as little as $1 a month) and know that any amount makes a huge difference to us being able to cover costs.Most importantly, thanks for being here! 

Previous

Slow Holidays: The Pre-Christmas Catch-Up
Next

Slow Holidays: Clutter-Free Gifts