47. Making Brooms and Cleaning Up Vacant Lots with Little John Holzwart
If you’re someone with big dreams but limited means, this conversation is for you.
For episode 47 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with John Holzwart of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, better known to most simply as Little John.
If you know Little John, it’s probably as a result of his years of touring the country on the fair circuit, leading demonstrations and workshops on the art of broom-making.
John is a skilled artisan with a sharp eye for honing raw materials into something that’s equally functional, elegant, and aesthetically pleasing. Now he’s looking to transfer those talents into the arena of urban permaculture through his recently organized non-profit Arboreus, whose mission is to reclaim vacant lots around Sheboygan and convert them into community gardens and food forests.
He already has his first lot well under way, and he’s not afraid to dream big about what comes next. I believe he’s on the right track, and I hope his story inspires you to make some serious moves on that passion project of yours that maybe you’ve been holding yourself back from pursuing.
Whether success or failure, I can guarantee that you’ll learn and grow more than you could ever imagine along the way!
To find out more about all the cool stuff that Little John does, visit plantbasedservices.com. To peruse his collection of brooms currently available for sale, visit broomsbylittlejohn.com. And if you’re just here for the Cornelian cherries, head to cornus-mas.com.
To add your name to the waiting list for my winter 2018/2019 wild food mentorship program, click here. Space is limited and these spots will fill up quickly when the program goes live!
If you want to try out the wonderful hemp CBD products from Blue Ridge Hemp Co., follow this link and be sure to use the code GOODLIFE at checkout for 10% off.
As always, if you get some value out of the work that I put into this podcast, and you’re able to translate that value into some financial capital - as little as $1/month - I hope you will consider becoming a supporter over on Patreon! Your contributions allow me to devote quite a lot of my time and energy to this work. I would love to do even more, with your help.
The song used as this episode’s theme is an instrumental version of an as-yet-unreleased tune of mine called “Hummingbird Drinks Jewelweed Nectar.” Once I finish the final mix it will be available to stream and download on Patreon. Stay tuned for more news about my upcoming album, which I’m hoping to release before the end of the year!
Finally:
I’m taking the Good Life Revival Podcast on the road in November 2018!
My dog Jojo and I will be cruising our rusty old pickup truck from Indiana to Oregon via Colorado, then down the California coast, across the Southwest and back home over the course of about three weeks. Here’s our rough itinerary, accounting for a couple people I will definitely meet up with along the way:
If you are somewhere along this route, and you’d be interested in opening up your home/farm/woodland shelter to me and the dog, and possibly sharing your story and good conversation for the podcast, let me know! Send me an email through this link and we’ll go from there. I hope to meet as many of you as possible while I’m ramblin’!
And if you’d like to help me make this road trip financially feasible, you might consider tossing me some gas money at paypal.me/goodliferevival! If I’m able to connect with you on the road, I will happily share some gifts from my land that I will be bringing along :)
