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hi, i'm ash!
Creator of the New Travel & Design Series, 'OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES.'
Travel writer & host, cultural explorer, and architecture & interiors freak.
Meet ash >
I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈
I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈ I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GREAT ✈
The Newsletter
Every week, we're exploring global culture through the lens of the home. From floorplans to fixtures, we examine how houses are built, designed, and decorated around the world (with a side of sass, of course!)
The Podcast
The only podcast where we pass on the pyramids and poke around in the plumbing. I’m Ash, and I'm, exploring the strange, smart, and wonderful ways houses are built, designed, and decorated around the world.
The Books
A new series of OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES books designed to help you try on a new life in different places around the world—by getting to "go behind closed doors" inside local homes to discover what it's really like to live there.
Damn! This is “crowbar” humanity. Brilliant, as always. 🤍🤍🤍
Crowbar humanity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just really really enjoy your writing.
I’m just really glad we get to be in this shit show together.
“And that’s the strange thing about making it out: part of you never actually leaves. You carry both worlds inside you—the one that taught you fear, and the one that taught you freedom.” I got a little choked up reading that. Resonates. It’s good to find someone who can clarify what I’ve been struggling to articulate. I love your writing!! PS I’m glad you canceled the door order. For what it is worth I think it was the right move.
Oh I can’t wait to tell more door stories!!! The new guy is coming back on Monday. More to report. 🤣 And, THANK YOU. Your note is so appreciated!
DitOH! This is one of your best pieces of writing, Ash.
Maybe that’s what I should do, go door to door asking if anyone needs design help???!!! 😂 Now that I think about it, it did work for Corey Damen Jenkins.
Imagine the YouTube channel you could have if you had someone filming this??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I am picturing you running away from giant Rottweilers!!!! lol
Hysterical!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I’m so introverted my mind never thinks of these things. So funny…I would tune in! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I had plans for today, but if anyone needs me, I’ll just be sitting here ugly crying and reliving my childhood. Beautiful, Ash. You nailed it.
I am always amazed at how many of us there are. And yet, here we are now, on the Internet, saying I SEE YOU. 👋🏻
Gawd, ugly crying at my office desk after reading this, because it brought back my parent’s struggles while raising me in a war torn El Salvador in the 70s and 80s. You are brilliant and I cannot wait to start Crowbar with you!!
Oh Pat! I bet you’ve got one hell of a story to share. Would love to read about it. So. Much. Bravery. It. Takes. To. Live.
Wow – this one landed like 5,264 elephants on my heart. Been there, facing that. It’s amazing that even reaching ‘solid’ middle class and owning a home feels ultra-privileged after a childhood of loss(mom @ age 4), mayonnaise on bread ‘sandwiches’, a few bouts of homelessness, etc. The juxtaposition of wanting to fill up every food bank to help others alongside the inner fear of going back to those times. Great post!
This is so beautifully written, and I love being reminded that there are others out there who get this. And it’s fun reading your process, not quite being able to predict where you’re going with it.
I had a similar situation, not in the over-paying category, but in the I-want-to-help-a-kid-who-wants-to-help-himself sort of way.
Barely a tween-aged neighbor boy came by to ask if he could rake our leaves. Knowing he loved animals and had an impressive number of pets, I assumed he wanted a little extra money to feed them, buy more animals, or purchase completely unnecessary pet costumes because cute is expandable. But! I didn’t want to fall into the uncomfortable trap of having no idea how much kids get paid these days — I don’t — so I asked him what he thought his time was worth. He couldn’t meet my eye. Finally, he mumbled something about $10 an hour.
I got him the rake.
After about 30 minutes, he came back to me, saying his arms were about to fall off, so he was done.
Honestly, he hadn’t done all that much–maybe two smallish piles–and yet his earnestness melted my heart.
“What do I owe you?” I asked. He thought about it while rubbing his arms. “Eight dollars.” I gave him a ten and said to keep the change.
Could I have given him more? Yes. However, it seemed more important to honor the terms he had set forth and thus offer respect for the effort he expended. He left smiling, so I think it was okay. I haven’t seen any costumed pets in their backyard, though.
This is one of your best, Ash. It made me so weepy. As the girl who got told by the popular girl that I must “really, really liked those jeans” (when they were the only pair I owned), I see you. Gorgeous writing.
What a dick. May she not fit into hers anymore!
Oh my. You have me almost in tears this time. 😢
Hi! For Founding Members, will you be providing more quarterly courses like the one you did over the summer? Thx!
Yup! Every season!
ok thanks! Is this new Crowbar course different than your Meat & Hair writing course?
Yes, dramatically! As much as I LOVEEEEE that class, that one is more about sentence-level editing techniques to make you writing zhuzh-y, and this is more about: What do you write? How do you write it? And, how can you write things people actually want to read?