Ali Motley: @planti_depressant

Plants have the ability to ground us, to keep us steady, to give us purpose, and to bring connection. In times of difficulty and heartache, plants give us something to care for.

It’s this connectivity and purpose that keeps Ali Motley collecting plants. 

After her mom passed away in 2019 from cancer, she found that collecting plants, as well as teaching her two boys about caring for them, was the boost she needed.

“I think trying to find things to care for or have around me has been really helpful…I kind of filled my time with as much things as possible to try to not think about it.”

Depression has been a part of Ali’s life for a long time, but nothing seemed to help her through it before she started collecting plants.

“Nothing really worked, nothing really made me feel better…and then I got into plants.”

The name planti_depressant didn’t have much thought behind it. It was something that Ali felt that she was about. Her goal is to be able to open a conversation about mental health and hopefully bring some inspiration to others who struggle with depression

“I think it’s super important to find humor in yourself and to normalize mental health and to talk about it…”

Check out planti_depressant on Instagram.

Director of Photography for this episode is Terra Turner.

Produced and Edited by Laura Christian.