"There was one good thing about growing up in a little town outside of Philadelphia; my imagination had no choice but to flourish."
"There was one good thing about growing up in a little town outside of Philadelphia; my imagination had no choice but to flourish." Not having much to do, I had no choice but to create. I was always a doer; didn't really have interest in sitting around. If I wasn't making a mess somewhere, I wasn't happy. My parents and I had a contractual rule --seeing how they were beyond neat and I was beyond messy-- I could make anything just as long as I cleaned up. I believe that rule is still in effect today...
Things haven't changed too much some 20 years later. Just my zip code and the fact that the ocean is less than a mile from where I type. I still enjoy a suburban culture. I'm not into the extremes of hard city living and crave no isolation of a rural setting. As a northern transplant here in a tiny beach town in South Florida, I found a place where I could live on vacation. Yes, I know you can't out run your responsibilities BUT you can live where the lifestyle supports your healthy state of mind. And that's what the beach does for me. It supports a sense of calmness, so I can concentrate on my creative process.
I might not get to the beach all the time, or even once a week, but living by the water was always a goal. I just followed a tiny instinct that yelled that there would be peace of mind waiting on the coastline. I am closer to my thoughts with just enough distraction. I don't need much, just the feeling that a project isn't too far away.