For those of you who know me, you may find this hard to believe…. I am an introvert. Are you kidding me? Nope.
Here is my companion studio cat “SPLAT” doing what he does best….. sitting on my painting!
I am an only child of an only child. I never had children. I didn’t join clubs, go to the prom or spend much time socializing while growing up. I was and still for the most part am a loner. One of my favorite things to say was, “ The more people I meet….. the more I like my cat.”…. I should say….. cats! I spent and still spend most of my time with my head in a painting or researching the next art project by traveling or getting out locally.
So when you I say I am shy and introverted, does it sound credible? Is the excitement in my voice and smile on my voice seem phony? Well I hope not because when I make art, I do it from the heart and with passion. You are were my comfort zone lies. You are a nature loving artist just like me. I feel comfortable talking to you about pinning and collecting insects. I know that you would stop to pick up a turtle in the middle of the road and get it safely from harms way too. I know there is nothing more you would like to do than be up to ears in glorious brushes filled with dripping gorgeous color.
I often feel a bit out of place when I am in a local setting, especially with people I don’t know. 28 years ago I feel in love with Costa Rica and all the abundance of flora and fauna it had to offer. I was teaching at the New York Botanical Garden and my students questioned me about the possibility of leading a tour there. I was open to it and ran my first tour in 1995 with 14 participants. I was scared as the group gathered wondering if we would all get along for the 10 days. Would people enjoy the itinerary? Would people get along? SO many thoughts ran through my head……. but then something magical happened! As we were walking along a path towards dinner, a woman spotted a big juicy caterpillar suspended upside down from a leaf in the shape of the letter “J”. All 15 of us quietly approached the little guy and formed a circle around it. It was a giant Saturniid Moth in the beginning stages of pupating for transformation. There was silence but everyone’s eyes were wide open and full of wonder. This was the moment I knew these journeys were meant to be. We had formed a tribe! Each one of us left the dinner that night to check on the transformation and I believe we were the ones that were transformed too.
There is nothing like sharing your passion with others who feel the same as you do. It takes you out of your shell to rejoice in the beauty of nature. I like alone time for sure but I truly enjoy getting out in nature with like minded people who care about protecting the environment, learning and nurturing artistic skills and sharing stories of discovering the natural world.
Are you ready to travel with like minded artists? We would love to have you join us and what we can discover together. Last chance to save $250 by registering by August 1, 2019 for the Journey to Heart of Creativity in the Costa Rican Rainforest.
Me too Mindy!!!
2 peas in a pod sweet Sandy!
Art takes me places I can only dream of in my mind. At this time I cannot travel a lot. I will be with you in spirit. Would love to see photos after the trip, if you post some.
We will be happy to share our journey and glad to hear at least your spirit will be with us!!!
I was very touched by the thoughts and feelings you shared. I look forward to our trip in Feb 2020–and I’m reworking some of the 4 classes I’ve taken with you!!!
Can’t wait to spend time with you again!!! the trip is filling up nicely.
I also wanted to tell you that I am also a somewhat of an introverted artist. When I was a student at Biola University, I spent alot of my spare time designing needle art patterns from photos of butterflies that were taken by myself or my dad. This was back in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s before we had personal computers. I designed three patterns by using high quality photos from slides and clear graph paper. I then used large pieces of regular graph paper to put the design down symbol by symbol. (had a hand drawn symbol for each color of thread, or each color of thread mix.) I would then stitch the pattern in counted cross stitch. Back when I designed my patterns cross stitch patterns of butterflies and moths were generally taken from dead, pinned specimens. I wanted to work from photos of live insects that were left unharmed after photographing them. I knew the colors on live insects would be brighter. So I would carefully put a butterfly or moth for 10 minutes in the fridge. It made them sleepy like a slight hibernation. Then I would bring them out into the sun to warm up while I photographed them. They would then warm up quickly and fly away unharmed. Much later I used software to put my patterns into a modern format for cross stitch.
You sent me a few pics of your cross stitch I believe a while back and they were beautiful. I learned the same trick of making insects “sleepy” by putting them in the fridge. One time I had a large Polyphemus moth that I did that with and then put it on a leaf to photograph. It began to shake a bit and I thought maybe it was cold. The next thing I knew it took off….never to be seen again by me. I learned later that the motion was not shivering but pumping blood into the wings so it could fly….Live and learn! Enjoy the creative process where ever it takes you! Cheers! Mindy
Oh, yes, love being alone. It takes work to be with others. One-on-one is great. I do love people, but groups overstimulate this sensitive being. I am considering doing Costa Rica with you again, just not sure when.
As an introvert I love my alone time but I also realize I must get out and be with others. This is one of the reasons I love doing tours to Costa Rica. Being with like-minded people, especially artists is very rewarding and also a place of comfort for me. I look forward to having you on the tour again some day. You were super fun to hang with! Cheers! Mindy