Josh Barnwell has been sharing his knowledge and passion for the outdoors from a young age. He teaches for private groups as well as at gatherings like Earthskills Rendezvous, Firefly Gathering, Florida Earthskills Gathering, and many summer camps.

Whatever your skill level, from novice to grizzled wild one, he invites you to join him as he enthusiastically shares decades of experience connecting people to the natural world in a real and meaningful way.

Josh lives with his wife and four children on their homestead in middle Tennessee.

When he is not teaching at an earthskills gathering or running a workshop at home, you can find him diving in to the cyclical, seasonal, crafts and skills for living with the earth he loves.

A few of my favorite things

  • Instruction and Mentorship

    Josh strives to inspire connection with the natural world. Breaking down perceived barriers and separations by teaching ancestral skills and equipping others with the tools they need to fundamentally change their relationship with the natural world and learning about humans place as a part of the wild. Gaining familiarity with the wild places and the ways humanity has relied on them and what they provide since time immemorial is a vital step on the journey towards true connection.

  • Creating

    The drive to create is a big part of what started Josh on this path to earth connectedness. What do you do when you want to learn how to make stuff with leather but cant get any leather? You learn to make the leather!

    Josh’s creative process follows the cycles of the seasons and he is always learning and practicing new things. Lately he has been especially focused on utilizing bark, bone, and braintan buckskin to create beautiful, functional items that offer a daily reminder to the interconnectedness of human life with the natural world

  • Earthskills Gatherings

    Josh attended his first earthskills gathering at the age of 16 and was instantly hooked. he quickly moved from participant to work trader and gatherings became a regular part of his life. by his 3rd gathering he began volunteering classes and is now a featured instructor for Firefly Gathering in North Carolina as well as a regularly returning instructor for Earthskills Rendezvous twice yearly gatherings; Rivercane Rendezvous in the spring and Falling leaves Rendezvous in the autumn. He is also excited to be joining the Florida Earthskills Gathering Feb 2023 as an instructor.