Helen Buck’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

Helen Buck shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Helen, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
This is a must for me. I practice shinrin-yoku—the Japanese art of “forest bathing,” a phrase born in 1982 from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. When I step into the forest, it’s as if I’m crossing a threshold into another world. The air is cool and laced with the scent of pine and damp earth. My fingers graze the rough bark of ancient trees, trace the veins of broad leaves, and sometimes sink into the mossy ground beneath bare feet. Each breath draws in the green, living essence of the woods, a quiet medicine.
Time loosens its grip. I wander without hurry, thoughts drifting like leaves on a slow-moving stream. In this place, problems dissolve like morning mist under the sun. Clarity returns, gentle but sure, and with it, the courage to take the next step—whether or not I yet know the road ahead.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Telling it briefly is no small task. I began as a young, wide-eyed dreamer, brimming with possibilities I could not yet name. The path through school years was a winding one, shadowed by a difficult childhood and later, a marriage that tested the very core of me. Seasons of hardship offered me the gift of resilience until I emerged as the person I am today—adaptable, curious, hungry to learn, questioning everything, and creating always.
In time, I came to see a truth that are at the same time both daunting and liberating. In this vast world, each of us is independent and walking alone no matter the number of friends and family present. Within me lives my fiercest enemy and my most loyal friend, my harshest critic and my most devoted ally, my persistent doubter, and my unwavering advocate. The choice of which voice to follow is mine—and these days, I choose with a steadier hand, and a clearer heart. This is how I found my voice and my ability to mentor other creatives struggling to find their own voice.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Like all children, I was a sponge, soaking up every word, every tone, every unspoken rule from those around me. I believed them when they said, “That was stupid. Don’t be stupid.” I shrank when told, “You’re embarrassing me with your antics. Stop doing that.” I dutifully accepted, “You need to support yourself until you marry and have children.” And the words, “You are fat,” lodged themselves deep, like barbs beneath the skin. These messages, and others just as cutting became the invisible chains that kept me bound to a bad relationship—far longer than I can care to recall.
Now I choose to look ahead to hope and I choose positivity. I no longer carry their stated “truths” as my own. I see myself now for who I truly am: a gifted, creative soul with an inner compass all my own. A few years ago, a licensed psychologist tasked with evaluating personality for a new career confirmed what I’d quietly suspected all along—my intelligence was superior; well above average. That moment was more than validation not for ego sake; it was a turning point. It stripped away the last of the lies I had swallowed as a child and replaced them with a quiet, steady certainty. Now I know—without arrogance and without shame—that I can go anywhere, do anything, and shape my life into something wholly my own; all with the hard work required of everyone in this world. There are no free rides.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Dance and be silly, life is too short to give what other people think any sway in your life. Maybe the critics will even be inspired by you! Just know I’m dancing every day to my own tune and laughing out loud at my own ridiculousness for I now understand Marylin Monroe was right when she said: “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Making art and making a life with art as a career requires 100% dedication to the craft.
This truism perpetrated on us by the industry or those who are selling their version of the “secrets” of success in art is, in my opinion, simply a distraction and another way to deplete funds. It is misdirection in fact.
The real truth is that it takes practice, time, visiting galleries and museums, asking questions, reading (lots of reading), studying, commitment to a daily art practice, planning, self promotion, lifting up other artists, and more practice. Do it all in joy
There is no secret. It’s not an easy path. All the stories media puts out about young “breakthrough artists” are the exception to the rule. The rule is that it takes time, patience, and perseverance.
The most important element is a passion for the work. I’m reminded of a phrase attributed to Ernest Hemingway “open your veins and let it bleed.” It is a metaphor (not meant as an actual act) and is often associated with the intensity and personal commitment required in creative endeavors.
This intensity comes through, however there is no guarantee the audience will feel the power of your making. But keep practicing because when you hear an audience gasp or become excited and animated over the discovery of your creation, you have bypassed the industry’s misdirection.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
This question assumes we are capable of understanding ourselves. In my opinion, most of us have a version of ourselves that is vastly different from the version others have of us. In fact, the version each individual has of themselves today is not the same as the version they will tell themselves tomorrow.
To understand this, one must release the notion of permanence and the strangle hold ones own ego has on these stories.
As children, our frame of reference was very narrow and we judged the world or at least tried to make sense of the world through that lens. Through the years the child grows, gathering more information and more experiences to color this judgement.
In my own experience, most of what was learned was false or misleading. Teaching oneself to think critically by questioning everything sets us up to see more clearly and reject misinterpretations, manipulations, and outright lies. Further, this avenue of discovery allows our minds to open and accept the truth of Bertrand Russell’s thoughts: “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts”.
THINK CRITICALLY

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