Open Mind: A Year-Long Experiment in Harmony with Nature
Swimming against the current of societal norms can feel like a constant struggle. We choose not to resist, nor do we try to force change upon others. We believe that everything unfolds in its own time. Our role is simply to do our part, to live out our beliefs, and to strive for a better society, moving forward on both personal and collective levels.
Satita Taratis
Visual Storyteller
Open Mind is a project by my friend Korkiat Treepattanasuwan (Big) and me, Satita Taratis (Mind). I’m experimenting with him to find a possible way of life and to reconnect with nature. We were incredibly fortunate to borrow a space from The Land Foundation in Chiang Mai, which became our living laboratory, a real-world testing ground for a different way of life.
To keep our project going, we found creative ways to earn money. We sold photographs, homemade chilli paste, and salted duck eggs cured in termite mound earth. We also hosted discussions about living in harmony with nature. We ran workshops designed to help people reconnect with themselves, question their lives, and question the very systems that drive our world, our countries, and our communities.
Over our year-long experiment, we started by adapting our living space. With no walls in our sleeping area, our senses were fully open to nature’s embrace: the wind, the rain, and the temperature. We rose with the sun, aligning our rhythms with the earth’s. Then came the tangible work: planting vegetables, enriching the soil, using animal manure as fertiliser, and sowing heirloom seeds generously shared by Pun Pun Organic Farm and local villagers. By growing our own food, nurturing it to fruition, and cooking it over fires fuelled by fallen branches, we shifted our consumption habits. Our bodies developed a stronger immunity, embracing the principle of food as medicine, using various herbs. It’s a stark contrast to the ultra-processed foods found in convenience stores.
When I pulled grass with just my two hands to prepare a 100-square-metre area for rice farming, it took a whole month! It sounds easy, but it wasn’t because the grass roots were as long as my arm. I pulled until tears flowed. Under all that exhaustion, I discovered so many creatures living underground. That’s when I understood how different soil is when it’s free from farm chemicals. All those lives live on the same land as me. We all need food to survive in this world. Sometimes, I had to take one life to survive (like the plants I ate). It hurts, but if we know the value of each other’s lives, we will definitely be more compassionate.
Satita Taratis
Visual Storyteller
Throughout our year, we faced numerous natural events: intense heat, rain bombs, flash floods, PM 2.5 dust, wildfires, and earthquakes. The village elders unanimously shared, “We’ve never seen anything like this before.” While these are natural phenomena, their relentless succession felt anything but normal, largely driven by humans’ resource consumption and lifestyle choices.
Have you ever felt like a tiny insect? On the morning of October 4, 2025, another event really shook my heart. I woke up to find the area I was in completely flooded, and the water level was rising fast. I couldn’t grab my things in time; some were swept away by the water. My friend and I decided to leave the area quickly. As we went through the strong current, we couldn’t see the path because everything was underwater, even the grass. We saw ants, spiders, centipedes, and lizards swimming, trying to find a place to hold on. Then they all started climbing up my thighs. I felt that we were all scared of the same thing and were willing to help each other get through it.
Satita Taratis
Visual Storyteller
The deep, transformative learning experienced during our dedicated year living through the Sapiens 3000 project has gracefully led to the creation of the Open Mind image series. This profound journey felt like rediscovering a long pathway within, allowing me to forge a renewed connection through a life intentionally lived in harmony with nature.
Words and Photography by Satita Taratis
Satita “Mind” Taratis, born in Bangkok in 1993 and raised in Ang Thong, Thailand, graduated from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi with a degree in Applied Computer Science – Multimedia. She is a visual storyteller with a passion for exploring the relationship between humans, nature, and spirituality. Recognizing the urgency of the climate crisis, Mind initiated “Sapiens 3000,” a personal project with friends, to discover ways of living in harmony with nature. Her photographs have been featured in group exhibitions both in Thailand and internationally. Currently, Satita works as a freelance documentary photographer, holding onto the hope that humans will reconnect with nature and help regenerate our world.
