Hello. My name is Tsh, and I help nice people live simple, unconventional lives.
Part intrepid pilgrim and scrutinizer of cultural oddities, part whimsical homebody and charming troglodyte, my name really and truly is spelled correctly. You pronounce it as though there’s an i, like Tish, unless you’re a Starbucks barista, in which you pronounce it Lucy because you give them a fake name to avoid the hassle.
I’m a writer and accidental entrepreneur who loves traveling and staying home, guacamole and pad thai (but not together), the Internet and the persnickety pulchritude of a really good pen, my Kindle and the smell of old books.
My family and I moved to Turkey in early 2007, and I started this online space because everything about life there felt like a do-over from the stateside life I knew. I wanted to catalog my discoveries about what it meant to simplify everything, from clutter to parenting to finances to relationships.
The Art of Simple is home to a blog, podcast, and classes about living unconventionally. Not because we’re in the mood to be rebellious, or because we’re better than our neighbors—but because it’s the right thing for us to do.
It’s all well and good to want to get rid of your stuff, but if you don’t have your reasons for doing it, there’s a good chance you’ll get discouraged, unmotivated, judge-y, or slightly nuts. I’m more about helping you find your personal why than tell you Why You Should Live With Only X-Number of Things.
To me, “simple living” means living holistically with your life’s purpose. Simple, right? This means simple living can look a million different ways, and I love that. I’ve got a manifesto that fleshes out more details, but really there are very few black-and-whites when it comes to living simply. Hallelujah.
My family and I (two adults; three kids ages 6 to 12) returned to the States from Turkey in 2010, and we’ve called Central Oregon and Central Texas our homebases ever since. In 2014-15 we traveled around the world, and yes, it was as nuts and exhilarating as it sounds. It confirmed my suspicion: a passport truly is a portal for the world’s greatest textbook—the actual planet and all her inhabitants.
Head here to get a (super short) weekly email from me, or simply stay for awhile. Welcome.
Meet the Writers
Alysa Bajenaru
Alysa is a freelance writer and dietitian who lives in Arlington, Texas with her husband and two kids—unless, of course, it’s baseball season; then, they could be anywhere. / posts / blog / twitter / instagram
Nicole Bennett
Nicole’s writing flows from her many passions; if she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, eating ice cream, watching baseball, or all of the above. She lives in a Southern California beach town with her husband and three kiddos. / posts / blog / twitter / instagram
Amber Black
Amber is endlessly fascinated by life, humanity, and what holds the world together deep down inside. She runs Serious Creatures, an art & stationery company with her illustrator husband, Brady, and lives life with the kids at Home of Hope near Beirut, Lebanon. / posts / blog / facebook
Robin Dance
Married over half her life to her college sweetheart, Robin’s guilty pleasure is Reddi Wip from the can. Mom to three, she’s as Southern as sugar-shocked tea. / posts / blog / twitter / instagram
Crystal Ellefsen
Crystal lives in San Diego with her blended family. She writes poetry, helps authors with their internet marketing, and makes time for sunsets and reading books. / posts / blog / twitter / instagram
Kara Fleck
Kara lives in Indiana with her husband Christopher and their four children. / posts / blog / twitter / instagram
Jerusalem Greer
Jerusalem Jackson Greer is a writer, blogger, speaker, and farm girl newbie, and an Episcopal Family Minister. Her first book A Homemade Year was published in 2013, and her second book, a memoir of being forced to live slow, will be released spring of 2017. Jerusalem, her husband Nathan, and their two boys Wylie and Miles live in rural Arkansas where they are attempting to live a slower version of modern life. / posts / blog / twitter
Kat Lee
Kat is a write and speaker, and blogs and podcasts about helping overwhelmed moms become focused and purposeful. Kat and her husband live in Texas with their three children and is the reigning Candy Land champion in her home. / posts / blog / twitter
Brooke McAlary
Brooke is a writer, podcaster, heart-led entrepreneur and firm advocate for the best things in life – naps, travel, a good book and a great shiraz. She lives with her family (kids, husband, dog, chickens) in the Blue Mountains, just outside Sydney, Australia and believes wholeheartedly in living a slow, intentional, happy life. She’s the host and creator of The Slow Home Podcast and the owner of a severe case of wanderlust. / posts / blog / twitter
Osheta Moore
Osheta believes everything is better after a nap, brunch with girlfriends is a necessity, and nothing beats a good Netflix binge. She lives with her family in California. / posts / blog / twitter / instagram
Nina Nelson
Nina is an author, intuitive designer, and essential oil educator, and she focuses on creating happier, healthier homes naturally. She lives with her husband and four kids in central Oregon. / posts / blog / twitter
Katherine Willis Pershey
Katherine is a minister and author in Western Springs, Illinois, where she and her husband, Benjamin, raise two daughters. She is a contributor to the Christian Century and the author of Any Day a Beautiful Change. / posts / blog / twitter
Caroline TeSelle
Caroline is a virtual assistant for writers, and a dream encourager for friends. She lives in Chicagoland with her husband and four kids and is generally a rule follower, but enjoys the occasional glass of bourbon. / posts / blog / twitter / instagram
Slightly fancier stuff on Tsh
Tsh is the author of Notes from a Blue Bike, One Bite at a Time, and Organized Simplicity. She also records a podcast called The Simple Show, which was a New & Noteworthy podcast in iTunes for its first eight weeks.
The Art of Simple has been mentioned on Apartment Therapy, HGTV, Better Homes and Gardens, Food Network, CNBC, CNN, NPR, Parents magazine, Real Simple magazine, and more. Tsh is also an advocate for Compassion International, is a former contributor at (in)courage and Storyline, and has spoken at various events around the world. But she’d still rather be snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef with her kids or puttering around her own backyard with a beer in hand.
Find me puttering around the Internet on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.