I moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Bremo Bluff, Virginia, in 1981, when I was thirty-two years old.

I didn’t realize it then, but this was the turning point in my life, from putting all my efforts into creating a commercial business to creating an artist studio.

I found a 1906 farmhouse on seven acres that seriously needed repair. It had a falling-down “buggie” barn that I jacked back up and made into my studio. By living off of referrals, I reduced my time to make a living to four months a year.

The other eight months I devoted to restoring my farmhouse, riding my bike, contra dancing, and reading.

I wanted to discover what it was like to be human, so I studied psychology, sociology, psychoanalysis, and transcendentalism. I soon learned that I only have so much mental energy and, of course, time, so I focused on creativity.

One day, I found what I was looking for in a Goethe quote: “Thinking and doing, doing and thinking are the sum of all wisdom. Both must move ever onward in life, to and fro, like breathing in and breathing out.”

This changed my life; I finally found the mindset I needed to be creative.