While many in today’s society are caught up in a love affair with technology and fast-paced living, a surprising number of young people are turning back to traditional hobbies — gardening, sewing, woodworking, soapmaking, knitting, even beekeeping. Pastimes like these, long seen by some as antiquated, are experiencing a renaissance among a generation seeking self-sufficiency, mindfulness and a connection with the earth.
At the forefront of this movement is Jamie Lott, a full-time farm enthusiast by day and professional blogger by night. From her small farm in Portal, she manages a diverse range of duties, from raising chickens and growing heirloom plants to canning her own produce and perfecting her sourdough bread recipe. But despite a life rooted in “old-fashioned” skills, she expertly strikes a balance with her online blog presence, offering readers a glimpse into a simpler way of life that resonates deeply in today’s digital era.
From city aspirations to country living
Born and raised in Jesup, Jamie, 48, wasn’t always destined for the quiet, hands-on life. Growing up in a family deeply rooted in the values of the Greatest and Silent Generations, her early life was shaped by constant movement. With her father working on large-scale industrial projects, she moved frequently during childhood, attending six different schools in four different states by the time she reached junior high.
“I didn’t grow up in the country, and certainly not on a farm,” she said, recalling how, as a young woman, she had envisioned a bustling career in marketing a la Angela Bower from Who’s the Boss, or even becoming a plastic surgeon.
Still, with a family full of makers and creators, influences of a way of life built upon hard work and a can-do attitude were inescapable. As a child, Jamie watched in awe as her mother, a talented seamstress, would “recreate haute couture from photographs,” and when his job kept her father away for weeks at a time, Jamie’s mom picked up whatever skills she needed to keep the house running.
“There was no waiting for the man to get home to do it, whatever ‘it’ was,” Jamie said. “I watched my mom lay parquet flooring, refinish a tub, and so much more than I can remember. That was normal for me, so I never questioned whether there was anything I could do — or not.”
She also recalls vivid memories of helping her papa tend to his backyard garden.
“I remember the Silver Queen corn, the turnip greens, and those purple-top turnip roots he’d peel for me to eat raw,” she said. “I called them my ‘ice cream.’”
With visions of big city life dancing in her head, college brought Jamie to Statesboro in 1995, where she met her husband, Eddie Lott. The two married in 2000 and soon welcomed their first child, an event that would also birth her journey as an online creator.
“I began blogging around 2004 when my older son was still just a baby,” she said. “While I adored being a mother, I had to have a creative outlet all my own.”
Initially, blogging was a way for Jamie to showcase her artwork — fabric and clay dolls that she sold at craft shows — but when she began refinishing furniture as a way to furnish her young family’s home, her second and current blog, Southern Revivals, was born. At the time, the trend of using techniques such as chalk paint, milk paint and distressing to breathe new life into old, worn-out pieces was gaining significant momentum, and sites like Pinterest played a crucial role in popularizing these DIY projects, with countless pins showcasing impressive before-and-after transformations — many of them Jamie’s.
“I have always enjoyed ‘old’ things; the look of them, the story behind them, the idea that they get a second chance,” she said. “So much so that when my oldest child was in pre-K, he brought home a picture he’d drawn at school. I could tell it had been crumpled up and straightened back out again, so I asked him about it … (to which he replied), ‘I know how much you like old things, so I made it look old for you.’”
It was in 2007, following the near back-to-back losses of her mother, great-aunt and great-uncle — and “with it, the family structure I had known my whole life” — that a spark ignited within Jamie, a first step toward the farm life she now embraces. While preparing to sell her relatives' estate, she found herself digging up rose bushes, lilies, daffodils and other bulbs, uncertain of what she was doing but driven by a deep longing to preserve what remained.
“I didn’t even know whether it was the right time of year or if I had done it correctly. I just knew I had to do it,” she said. “The following spring, when those bulbs popped out of the ground and those roses miraculously bloomed, I was hooked.”
With that, the seeds were planted — literally and figuratively — and by 2012, she had jumped head first into raising chickens, after her flock of three grew to 20 overnight thanks to an unexpected adoption from a former fellow hobbyist.
“The rest, as they say, is history,” she said.
A day in a blogger’s life on the farm
Life on the farm for Jamie is a delicate dance between the digital and the tangible, her days a patchwork of activities that range from harvesting fresh vegetables to creating content for her blog. Much of her time is spent in front of a screen, sharing tips and tutorials, recipes and building in an effort to inspire followers to take on projects of their own. But as soon as the sun rises, her farm duties call, and she swaps her keyboard for gardening gloves, beekeeping gear or a feed bucket.
“Strictly speaking, Southern Revivals is my full-time job,” she said. “But as is often the case with me, that has morphed into something else.”
Her projects are as varied as her interests, each one driven by a blend of curiosity and a relentless DIY spirit — a combination that further flourished during the COVID pandemic and ensuing lockdown.
“That’s when I decided to try all the things,” Jamie said. “I’d been an avid baker for years, but I wanted to perfect my sourdough baking skills, and nothing goes better with bread than jam, so I needed to get a handle on canning and preserving, too. Before I knew it, I was on to fermenting, beekeeping, and growing the strangest plants I could find.”
Whether she’s canning the latest batch of tomatoes or wrangling the many rescue dogs, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl and goats in her growing menagerie, every task reflects her commitment to self-sufficiency, with a nod to countless skills that have been passed down through generations.
“I think it’s a little like knowing where your food comes from,” Jamie said. “You can’t help but be mindful once you’re part of the process. But I especially love learning about how to work with nature instead of against it, and I’ve had it work in my favor far more than against me.”
Balancing such a wide array of responsibilities isn’t easy, and while she is intentionally and refreshingly candid about all aspects of her endeavors, she recognizes that many online influencers seem to “peddle an impossible standard, both of living and creating.”
“I learned early on that social media is where we share our best selves, but not necessarily where we share our truest selves,” she said.
“This is hard work. You can only maintain this lifestyle if you love it, and even then, it’s hard and exhausting and rarely beautiful in the traditional sense.”
The beauty, she says, is found in the simplicity.
“Most days, the peaceful energy of just watching life as it goes about itself fills me in a way that nothing else does.”
Keeping traditions alive
Jamie’s ever-growing farm is a thriving hub of activity, where each plant grown and each animal raised carries forward lessons of the past. It’s a way of life that speaks to the heart of what it means to create, nurture and connect, embracing nostalgia while making room for modern conveniences.
Ultimately, for Jamie, it’s about preserving a piece of history and carrying forward precious lessons of previous generations, one project at a time.
“Every time I’m able to tackle something new — getting a difficult seed to germinate like my Aunt Tee, getting the perfect rise on a loaf of bread without traditional yeast, or getting something to taste like only my Nene, my mom or my dad could — I’m not only keeping tradition alive, I’m keeping them alive, too.”