When Flowers Cross Fences: Belladonna, Abundance, and a New Kind of Wealth

Ephemeral Belladonna — Solarized Floral Portrait
Photographed in my studio using off-camera flash (Elinchrom Ranger Quadra bare head with gold reflector) against a green-teal wall with a pink graduated filter. Solarization was achieved through Curves adjustments, with additional color work and blend modes.

My friend Nicole discovered this short film on YouTube, and I wanted to share it here. It resonated deeply with the way I’ve been pre-visualizing a new world — one not shaped by unchecked consumption, but by generosity and fair share in the age of super-intelligence. What if?

What if gifting seeds and sharing plants or food became our social norm?
What if community, not currency, defined our wealth?

In our own small way, Jesse and I have already begun answering those questions. We tore out our lawn — what Bill Mollison once called “lawn culture” — to make space for a suburban food forest grounded in permaculture principles. Inspired by Indigenous cultivation methods and adapted to our Northern California climate, we’re relearning how to grow abundance, to share with pollinators, teach our children, and hopefully, many humans to come.

The belladonna in this photograph was once a single gifted bulb. Years later, it blooms in generous clusters, and I’ve shared many of its offspring with my neighbor. Now, if I peek over the fence, I can see its descendants blooming there too, a living reminder that abundance multiplies when shared.

🎥 Watch the short film here and imagine: what could we grow together if generosity became our default? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.