WORDS BYLINE: Sarah Ingram A former city slicker and playboy model from the States has moved from the bright lights of Vegas to the calming views of Nashville, Tennessee, in a bid to find a more peaceful way of life.  Catjira was overwhelmed by her non-stop shooting schedule, feature shows, social media requirements and other demands on her time and decided she wanted a more relaxed pace of life.  So the content creator found an abandoned farm in the south where she decided she would set up home and grow pumpkins.  After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Business, 31-year-old mononymous Catjira moved to Las Vegas in 2019 where she kept a high-profile schedule as a popular model and performer before the Covid pandemic inspired a dramatic shift.  Catjira, who was exhausted from constantly travelling between her home in Vegas and LA for work, enjoyed the peaceful way of life during Covid, so she bought a barely habitable farm three years ago and has spent all her spare time fixing it up.  Catjira explains: ‘I've been gardening for most of my life, I just wanted to do it on a bigger scale and not be limited to a few potted plants on my patio.’  But there was a lot of work to do on the farm which had been destroyed by tornadoes, with structures collapsing and fences needing replacing. The soil needs to be turned before she can use it for growing pumpkins and pastures have to be cultivated.  ‘I truly have no idea of what I’m doing. I had to hire help to fix the mould and roof issues before I could even move in. Once that was fixed I've been focused on one room at a time and one outdoor project at a time.  ‘The vegetation was unmanageable; you couldn't even walk through most of the property, all the out-buildings were collapsing. My big project of 2025 will be restoring my collapsing five-stall horse barn to its original state. It's really important to me to try and preserve what's there rather than tear down and start from scratch,’ she explains.  Catjira has had to learn new skills too and she has found herself failing a lot more often than she’d like.  ‘I live extremely rurally, so hiring professional help with contractors is super limited - most people won't travel this far out. I've had to learn how to use almost every power tool, tractor equipment, carpentry, and a ton about growing and landscaping.  ‘Within the first four months of moving here I built a large garden that then was completely washed away due to drainage issues during a storm. I've learned the hard way on so many things. I think the biggest skills I’ve learned have been patience,  and learning to research and study my property to make sure the projects I've been working so hard on will actually work. Which takes multiple seasons sometimes.’ Catjira is still a way from growing the pumpkins she’s been dreaming about, but she has loved the experience and feels very fortunate to be able to pursue her dream of running a farmstead. ‘I love growing and preserving food and I want to do something beneficial for the environment. I grow native plants and am very close to becoming a certified wildlife habitat. I hope in the future to create a quaint memorable pumpkin patch though. Some of my best memories were at pumpkin patches and I really love creating something like that,’ she adds. Featuring: Catjira When: 19 Sep 2024 Credit: Cover Images **EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR SUPPLIER.**