Jun 5, 2018
It was a sunny April afternoon as I approached a tree-lined apartment complex located in San Mateo. I avoided any extra caffeine that morning because my mind was already racing. I was to meet and interview an artist and naturalist I admire, John Muir Laws. In my head were so many questions that I knew I could not fit them all in during the time we had and I didn't want to screw it up!
I got
out of the car, grabbed my gear and began to walk toward his
apartment. Before I reached his door, I saw John Muir Laws (Jack)
focused intently on searching through his car. "Hello! Jack!" I
said. "Did you lose something?"
He
proceeded to tell me that he lost his phone. I used my phone to
call his number. Before I could even hear the first ring, Jack is
diving into the front seat head first with his feet hanging outside
the passenger door. In seconds, he was back on his feet with a big
smile holding his phone! At that moment the ice was broken. We both
laughed and just started talking about the day, the scope he uses
in the field to watch birds and a raven walking about in his
lawn.
You
would have to be devoid of all emotions if not immediately infected
by Jack's passion and enthusiasm for nature. He smiles when he
talks and uses his hands and body to express himself. His
excitement helped transform me from nervous to excited as we began
the interview.
The
interview was very casual as we sat on his sofa in his living room.
He sat cross-legged on the sofa and began to talk about anything
and everything. He talked about how he was influenced at a young
age by his parents to love nature and how his family encouraged him
to sketch and observe the natural world. We talked about geology,
art, what makes people tick and most importantly, his new
journaling program for educators, what gives him hope. My pessimist
side was surprised by what gives Jack hope but after hearing him
explain, I walked away with hope and tucked away my pessimistic
thoughts.
Enjoy
my conversation with John Muir Laws. I hope that you walk away
inspired and infected with his enthusiasm enough to get outside,
slow down and observe the natural world you live in. The interview
will be published, Tuesday, June 5, 2018, so stay
tuned.
Resources and More Information About John Muir
Laws:
Biography from the website: https://johnmuirlaws.com/biography/
Where
to find his books: https://johnmuirlaws.com/store/
Classes and Events: http://johnmuirlaws.com/events/
His
website is full of free video and blog tutorials such as
this https://johnmuirlaws.com/drawing-birds/
so please check it
out!
BeProvided.com Blog: https://www.beprovided.com/blog/my-afternoon-with-john-muir-laws
Images from John Muir Laws
Books and website:
**Introduction and Closing by Dale Wilman. Music provided by www.bensound.com