Mr. and Mrs. Colin Miller met in 2010 at a conference in Arizona. It all started with a classic "Hi, I'm Colin - you were in my small group. ...Joy, right? " Colin is the oldest child (and only son) in the Miller family, while Joy is the second oldest of 11 children in her family. They could not suit each other more perfectly! Both are very artistic, graphically inclined, stylish, and deep thinkers. Since their wedding in 2011, they have made Mississippi their home and continue to help with marketing, web-presence, and graphic design for the farm. Colin usually acts as an "in house" IT guy for other family members and has successfully taught Photoshop to several family/farm members. The couple bought their first house in 2015 and continue to reach out to the community, practice hospitality, and shine as lights for Christ in our world. Colin currently works for Clarke Veneers as a support guy and compliance agent, while Joy teaches art at a private school as well as individual and group lessons.
What inspires you?
Colin: Some things that I think shape us and influence our work and attitudes are faith, community, capitalism, art... I’m a big fan of Modernism in art, and people like Newman, Rothko, Mondrian. I love the work of designers like Frank Lloyd Wright, Dieter Rams, and Charles and Ray Eames. Great music of an eclectic variety puts me in the right zone for work, thinking, or relaxation. Reading interesting ideas.
Joy: Light. Being in my own home with the sunshine streaming in the windows. The New England landscape. Great artwork, especially if it’s by John Singer Sargent, Wolf Kahn, the French or American Impressionists, or my own art students. Watching children’s creative ideas take visual form on a regular basis never gets old!
What is your most fulfilling hobby?
Joy: I don’t know. For me... I don’t know that housekeeping can be considered a hobby, but it’s very fulfilling to keep the house in order, try new things, practice hospitality, and just enjoy being a homemaker.
Colin: I think I enjoy anything creative. I love graphic design, and sometimes video projects or photography. I also love thinking through business ideas and helping friends start things, which can be kind of another creative hobby for me. Tea is a hobby for me as well. I’m an amateur aficionado.
What relaxes you after a long day?
Colin: I come home and have a cup of tea. Music, too. Watching movies. Just kicking back and creating an environment that extends however I’m feeling.
Joy: I usually join Colin in whatever he’s doing, but often I’m energized to get things done at the end of the day, so usually getting into bed is a good chance to relax.
Who do you hope to share your passions with?
Colin: Well, we enjoy involving each other in projects and interests. Joy and I have a lot in common, so that makes things fun. We also like to share with our friends, and through commercial endeavors share with people outside our typical spheres. For me, business can be an outlet for communicating the messages I feel strongly about in a profitable way. Hopefully. [Laughs]
Joy: I really hope to share my passion for art with other people through painting and teaching.
How do you help the farm?
Joy: Well, we tell people about the amazing goat milk soap every chance we get. It’s the most
incredible soap for your skin, and it looks incredible too, thanks in large part to Colin’s awesome design work. He has designed product labels and a lot of the visual identity for the farm. Plus, we’ve helped with marketing strategy and thinking through business ideas.
What is your greatest asset?
Colin: It’s hard to say, you know, without sounding like, without bragging... But I think probably what one might call discerning taste. We both can tell when things work... visually, or conceptually, you know. It’s definitely a strength I see in Joy and, I hope, in myself. I would like to think that caring for people is a great asset we have, too.
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| Atop the mountain in AZ |
What is one thing that most people wouldn't know about you when they first meet you?
Joy: Most people are surprised when they hear how we met... a girl from Massachusetts and a guy from Mississippi meeting on top of a mountain in Arizona.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Joy: We hope to still be in this neighborhood, where we’ve lived for five months now, but witnessing the fruits of investment in the lives of our neighbors. Wherever we are, we want to be salt and light, pointing people back to Christ, our Savior. Personally, my first year at Jackson Classical (a two day “school” program for homeschoolers) has gone so well that I anticipate being there for a while, developing their art program. It will be exciting to watch the kids move from K3 through high school.
Colin: Probably involved in some business idea in addition to continuing my day job. We don’t want to ever stop creating or innovating, with as much opportunity as we have.
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