Lucinda Luvaas shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Lucinda, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I have to say that re -watching “Stranger Things,” is a real pleasure and makes me laugh…dark humor for sure. It’s a treat to work all day and in the evening and then late at night watch a streaming show. This is a recent thing for all of us. Years back we didn’t have the technology, or availability. Being that I make short films as well as paint, it’s a pleasure to see such things. Sometimes it helps my sleep and sometimes not.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a multimedia artist working in fine art and film. In addition, I curate exhibitions here in the LA area. Recently I’ve curated a multimedia exhibition dealing with the natural world and climate change. It’s both a celebration of what we have and a critique about what we’re loosing. So far, “Reflections on a Warming Planet,” has been at Pasadena City College, the Lois Lambert Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, and LA Artcore, downtown Los Angeles. My work has been shown nationally and abroad. Films have screened all over the world and my fine art as well. Currently, I’m working on a film short called: Entropy dealing with aging and things falling apart.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
There was no “moment” in particular, but I played mostly alone as a child. Everyone lived far away when I was in grade school. Both of my parents worked, so basically I had to make up games, and stories using my imagination to occupy my time when I was home. In retrospect I’m grateful for all that..The isolation helped to hone my imagination–my creativity and from a very young age. I remember reading that Andrew Wyeth’s sister mentioned in her writings that she also spent much time alone as a child and had the same instinct: to rely on her mind, her creativity and imagination.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
I was terrified of getting injections in grade school. I would be on a line, waiting for my turn. My mother knew how scared I was, so she told me to “make my magic thumbs,” before getting the shot and it wouldn’t hurt at all. So, that’s what I did and it worked!
Another time my middle brother Jim saw Psycho and was totally terrified. He insisted that my parents go with him to see it. I guess he wanted to see if there really was something scary about the movie. I was dragged along. When Janet Leigh was in the car and it was raining and the violins started I whispered to my mother that I wanted to go home. She said, “it’s only a movie honey. Don’t worry.” I was so terrified when we got home that my folks gave me a tranquilizer to help me sleep. For a long time I wouldn’t take a shower without locking the door. What helped me was growing up! When you’re really young you don’t always know what’s real and what’s not.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Smart people need to know how to talk to all kinds of other people. So many live in an isolated community and don’t really know those who are different. I’ve lived In varied situations. It’s important to have empathy and be able to relate to as many people as you can. It’s disturbing to me personally that we all share this land together: the USA, but we don’t celebrate what we have in common. We mostly focus on differences. Abe Lincoln said: A house divided cannot stand. I fear that we’re heading towards a structural collapse. Only if smart people and others can see that we need to come together and recognize each other in a more positive way.
I’m from Manhattan. Normally it’s a rush, rush city, but after 9/11 people were so very considerate. That horrible tragedy brought people together. We’re capable of that. I hope that somehow we can become aware of our “oneness”.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m in a forest, or on a cliff overlooking the ocean–out in nature. The forest really is a tonic: all that green and then the trees have some sort of soul that has an affect too. Our Earth is still so beautiful. So much to see and experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lucindaluvaasnewwork.com
- Instagram: insta@cinsensations
- Linkedin: Lucinda Luvaas
- Facebook: Lucinda Luvaas
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