About 7 months ago, Eirik Jarl Trondsen held an Affirmative Art workshop with friends and family around the kitchen table. Our island community is a very tight knit group, and we curiously took up our pens and paper to draw. What would we find out about ourselves? First Eirik had us draw Today’s triangle, a kind of self-portrait, and I felt satisfied with the beautiful life I drew: kayak trips with our group, family, a good book and a random chicken walking through the picture.

So, you can imagine my surprise when some new things popped up in the next drawing of Tomorrow’s triangle. Somehow Eirik led us through the logical thoughts, and we accessed the deeper dream of who we would like to become. What is our world impact? I drew that I was an ARTIST, creating a greener world. Imagine starting a new career at 63!

Now, I am finishing my first semester at Lesley University in Cambridge USA in the low-residency MFA visual arts program that Eirik had put me in touch with. Inspired, my work accesses something visceral - the love of nature and the need to connect with foraged materials. By challenging the anthropocentric nature of society’s mindset, my own position within larger landscape has become clearer. The feeling of fulfilment is also making family relationships truer, and together with friends, the understanding of community is growing outside of the boundaries of our island. Thank you so much Eirik and Affirmative Art for opening a deeper emotional connection to life!