There are a million voices telling you
what you should think,
what you should believe,
who you should be and why you’re doing it wrong.
FFOREST is not a source of those voices.
FFOREST starts with the foundational idea that
you are good,
you are growing,
and you contribute value to the world
by being your true self.
‘I enjoy starting my day with something positive that also helps me look at ways I can grow. TREE has helped me reframe so many negative perspectives that it’s honestly too much to list.’ —Teresa Rosalie Roberts, artist
‘TREE is a daily reminder of the power of my tiny incremental steps in a long journey. This morning replacement of my usual doom scrolling through pay per click articles disguised as news has unquestionably improved my life and kicks in the creative juices first thing.’ —Steven Lee Tracy, music producer
FFOREST is for people…
who like silly drawings
who have enough experience to know that no single club, ideology or religion has all the answers
with a lively sense of curiosity
who use their creativity
who make things
who are working to grow into their very best human selves
who are in it for the long haul
who want to discover new music
If you are on board with at least half this list, FOREST is for you.
TREE will help you be who you are.
It’s a Monday to Thursday email by Jeff Gill that usually contains three things
A drawing
An idea to wake up your brain, and inspire you
A song
It’s an easy way to not start your day with social media.
It’s short. You can read it in a minute or less. You grow a life with a series of small daily habits. TREE is the happy little morning habit that feeds your daily growth.
‘TREE, for me, is balanced trinity: trunk, branches, and all the growing stuff of leaves. It makes me think (text), laugh (image), and embrace life (music)—my daily prayer-balloon sent out.’ —Alison Acheson, writer
FIELD GUIDE will feed your curiosity and increase your empathy.
It’s a Friday email by Skyler Cail about a person and what they do and why what they do is interesting. You’ll learn something that most people don’t know about what they do. And if you want to know more, there are links.
It’s a little longer than TREE. It will take about five minutes of your time.
FFOREST is a growing community.
There are a bunch of us growing here. We’re all over the map when it comes to beliefs and politics and geography. But we’re close when it comes to working on becoming kinder, happier, smarter, more creative human beings. We have some good conversations here on the FOREST website.
‘…the content is very relatable and actionable. It’s not trying to sell me ‘quick tips to improve my life’, but real, life-paced ways of thinking that really ground me and make a significant difference. The sign-off sums it all up, “grow slowly”’ —Steve Davies, motion designer
Subscribers get How to TREE
How to TREE is the TREE manifesto + some fairly high quality wisdom about how to find stability, embrace reality and live creatively.
How to TREE is a 17,072 day value! That’s how much life experience it took me to write it. I’m giving it to you for free because it’s nice to get beautiful and useful things for free. And it’s perfectly designed for reading on your phone.
Questions and answers
Are TREE and FIELD GUIDE free?
Yes.
So why do you have paid subscriptions? (Starting 5 May 2023)
We’re in this for the long haul. Paid subscriptions help us make giving the gifts of TREE and FIELD GUIDE sustainable and give us a budget to promote them.
Do paid subscribers get anything extra?
Yes, first and foremost, they get the joy of knowing they are participating in giving the gift. There are a few additional thank yous for paid subscribers
All paid subscribers get access to the TREE archives and occasional themed index posts that allow you to really dig in to the topics I and our guests have written about.
All paid subscribers have the ability to start threads on FFOREST Chat. Chat is a place for all free and paid FFOREST subscribers to hang out, ask questions, give answers and build a virtual community with people like you who are dedicated to growing slowly every day.
Monthly subscribers get a real physical copy of Jeff’s short story collection once they have been subscribed for six months.
Annual and Founding subscribers will get a signed and doodled-in copy of Jeff’s short story collection when it is released in summer 2023.
Founding subscribers will get a signed, extremely limited edition print of one of Jeff’s drawings in autumn 2023.
Does TREE get all preachy or partisan?
Never.
After three months, do I get a secret decoder ring?
Well, FFOREST kind of is a secret decoder ring for life.
Who are you and why should I care what you have to say?
My name is Jeff Gill. I help people and brands move towards their full potential. I’ve been married to Christine for 2.7 decades. We have four kids, two by birth, one by adoption, one by just moving in. Three are grown up. Two are on the autism spectrum. One has ADHD. One has FASD. I’ll let you do the maths. I am a graphic designer, writer and artist. I’m also an ex-pastor with a deep skepticism of anything that claims to be supernatural. I’ve earned a karate blackbelt and an honours degree in culinary arts. I’m an American from the Arizona desert who finally felt at home when I arrived in North Wales. Last year I moved to Gloucestershire, England where I’m starting to feel pretty at home. I was happily homeschooled but today one of my favourite places to be is in school. I have lead writing, drawing and creative workshops, primarily in primary schools. I spent a summer in Caracas, Venezuela doing street drama and a winter in Moscow, Russia with a cult. I’ve smuggled bibles into China and Skittles into the cinema. I’ve been an employee, self-employed, a director, a board member and a radio DJ. I’m currently a Senior at (probably) the world’s best employer branding agency. What I’m saying is I’ve done some stuff. I’ve tried to learn from it all.
My name is Skyler Cail. I have been with my husband, Matthew since I was 17. He and I have an amazing daughter and a dog. As a young girl, my family moved with the US Army to Panama, North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, and Maryland. In 2006, I returned to Georgia where I graduated high school and worked my way through college. I spent a month in Siena, Italy studying history and philosophy, which ignited my love of questioning everything. I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies. Out of sheer boredom, I graduated with my Master’s degree a few years later. I love afternoon thunderstorms, a good sunset, strawberry milkshakes, and cathartic runs. My passion comes from other passionate people. It is fulfilling to make connections of my own, help others make connections and help them find and grow their success. I have worked as a bartender in a chaotic beach restaurant, a waitress in a fine dining restaurant, an assistant property manager for a luxury apartment community, and I have co-organized the largest food truck festivals Savannah, GA has seen to date. Now I am raising a family while pursuing the things that fulfill me. Im learning every step of the way and want to take you with me.
‘TREE generally arrives as I'm winding down for the day, so it’s the last real email I read before I go to bed. It gives me something meaningful but not stressful to think about as I drift off to sleep, and it grounds me.’ —Josh T, Technical Writer
