Secluded Seclusion can be healing. It can also be damaging. I sometimes struggle to find that balance. When I’m in the wilderness hiking or fly fishing I am almost certainly happy and in my element as it were. I go out of my way to be alone. But I’m also a bit of a social butterfly. I love to come out of the woods and find a bar where I can make new friends and share my experiences. The same happens in my studio. Some artists crave nothing but isolation. I need both. I need breathing room to make mistakes and let the creativity naturally develop. And I need to show my work off, get feedback, hear what other see in it. Secluded for too long and I begin to lose my humanity. If I go too long without it, I become a caged animal. Lately the animal has been emerging and it’s time to find my way to the wilderness.