THE EARTH DIARY: SUSTAINABLE STYLE, ETHICAL FASHION AND CREATIVE LIVING WITH KEIRA
9 June 2020 - Posted by The Sisterhood of Sustainability
Keira has inspired us for many years now, with her beautiful photos and down to earth approach to sustainable and ethical living. She recently shared her story with us and now we're giving you the chance to discover her beautiful secrets behind sustainable styling, ethical fashion and slow, creative living.
ABOUT KEIRA MASON
Originating from Newcastle in Australia, Keira and her husband Jared made the decision two years ago to move to Bali after feeling an overwhelming sense of belonging whilst visiting Indonesia. Keira is a conscious minded person and a big advocate for living sustainably and dressing ethically.
She absolutely loves being creative and supporting other small businesses which is why photography has become such a huge part of her journey in life and business. One of her recent successes was launching her Product Photography Starter Kit which is a kit of online resources that guides business owners through creating their own product imagery for their business at home!
Her days are filled with morning runs and yoga flows before spending time working on projects and developing resources. She dedicates time to creativity which involves shooting, designing and editing and then usually goes for an afternoon walk to catch the sunset before cooking dinner. Her daily lifestyle is slow and creative living at it's finest...
SUSTAINABILITY & ETHICALITY
Keira's sustainable and ethical journey started in her early 20's and she states that at that time, what she wore and how she looked played a big part in her identity and how she felt others valued her. She believes that because her identity was so wrapped up in something so materialistic, she began to feel a lot of social pressure to always buy the newest and latest styles which led to an empty wallet and quite a bit of anxiety.
It wasn't long before Keira made the conscious decision to opt out of ‘fast fashion’ and to spend a bit of time working on herself. Through that time she came across the concept of slow, sustainable and ethical fashion which was something that she had never heard of before and was shocked to learn that her fashion habits had been creating so many negative, environmental and social impacts.
She had her 'a-ha’ moment after coming to this realisation and since then, everything has changed. She started by looking at how all of her actions (not just related to fashion) had on others and the surrounding world and now places so much importance on sustainable and ethical living because she believes that it is our responsibility to take care of our planet, our people and the generations to come.
- - - A NOTE FROM KEIRA - - -
"Who you are right now is enough. In these uncertain times it is easy to think we aren’t doing enough to save the planet, connect with our family, work on our business, or maintain a sane household; but you, right now, are doing the best you can and that, my amazing and powerful fellow women, is enough"
SLOW & SUSTAINABLE LIVING WITH KEIRA
Keira is passionate about living a slow and sustainable lifestyle and makes this possible by implementing small changes that lead to a significant impact. These include creating a backyard compost bin, taking her own bags with her when she shops and purchasing groceries from farmers markets and bulk food stores. She also uses a menstrual cup and period underwear instead of tampons and pads, walks or rides instead of driving and purchases clothing secondhand or from brands who make their clothing ethically and with sustainable fabrics.
When asked what her top tips are for women who want to start on their own sustainable and ethical journey, she stated "It can be overwhelming so take it one step at a time. Don’t think you need to throw away everything plastic has touched in your kitchen or any piece of clothing that isn't made with flax linen. Every time you need to replace an item in your home, find a more sustainable or ethical replacement. for example, replace your empty shampoo bottle with a shampoo bar, when your cling wrap runs out, try silicon food wraps, and when you need a new top, go on the hunt for a beautiful ethical and sustainable label for you to support. Another piece of advice is to do your research or find a directory that you can trust to find some amazing businesses who are doing amazing things in this space that you can support with your purchases."
"We've never spent time dreaming of overflowing bank accounts or big houses. We just want to nurture our businesses to continue creating a simple life where freedom and time together is always number one"
ETHICAL FASHION & CONSCIOUS STYLING
For Keira it's quite simple: She never wants her shopping habits to negatively impact the wellbeing of another human and its something that she just won't stand for. Her favourite things about sustainable styling are the fabrics and in her words "100% the fabrics! I could never go back to synthetic fabrics ever again. The textures, comfort and look of sustainable fabrics are heaven! Plus I actually love that most sustainable fashion brands are small businesses! Their designs are so unique and so I find it easier to locate those ‘forever’ pieces!"
When she learnt about conscious living years ago, Keira was frustrated that she hadn’t heard of the concept or need for it at the time. She felt in her heart that she needed to start sharing what she had learnt in the hopes that others would also start to make changes in their lives! It was this journey that led her to creating conscious content and she believes that over the last couple of years with more and more people sharing their experiences, sustainability and ethicality has become a topic that is very much in the spotlight. It is so incredible seeing more and more people making changes for our planet and its people!
When we asked Keira what its like leading a sustainable and creative lifestyle in Bali, she mentioned that as soon as she and her husband visited Bali for the first time, they felt like it was where they needed to be. "I am so glad that we trusted that feeling and made the move because it has been the most incredible two years. We have learned so much in that time and feel so supported by the community of locals and expats there. Having the freedom to drive up into the mountains or be by the ocean and meeting people from all over the world daily is absolute magic. We feel like it has been the perfect place to start and build our businesses and open ourselves up to new experiences, practices and thinking."
She is inspired by seeing people who are living their truth unapologetically and it inspires her to be exactly who she is even when it might be uncomfortable. Creativity also inspires and empowers her and Keira connects with a whole new side of herself when she's in a creative space and states that it always feels incredible.
We're constantly inspired by what Keira has to say and by the content that she shares. To discover more about her sustainable and ethical journey or to learn more of her ethical fashion and styling tips, head over to Instagram and follow her beautiful account.
The Earth Diary blog series was created to highlight the importance of reducing your environmental impact, adopting a slow and sustainable lifestyle and appreciating the small moments in every day.
We’ve chosen beautiful women from within the creative and earth friendly community whom we believe have something inspiring and empowering to share with you and have dedicated each of these blog posts to these amazing women, their stories and their beautiful photos.