Why Artist's Kayak?

A little personal history:  I grew up in Oregon.  Back then, I did not do that well in school. School was exciting, maybe too exciting.  I think I was a hypersensitive kid easily overstimulated by social factors and performance demands of the school environment.  At school, I acted out a handful of coping behaviors of my own invention, and as you might guess, they resulted in disaster.  Unfortunately, any efforts by adults to straighten me out seemed to make matters worse.  I learned to live in a sort of shell - like a catatonic turtle.  I was mostly shut down, on the defense, quietly closed for the season.

Like an injured animal - by instinct - I was drawn to the quiet refuge of the woods. Wandering the backcountry always gave me the space that I needed to calm down and regain my balance. I hiked along the deer trails of Cedar Brook. The further I went, the better I seemed to feel.

Of course, I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was those solitary experiences along the Cedar Brook trails that saved me. The sights, sounds, and smells of Cedar Brook encouraged me to sort of peek outside of my shell. In these woody places, amid the light beams and mist, I’d peer down into a shallow pool and I always seemed to find something interesting ...something surprising.

From the many positive experiences on the trails I felt safe enough to fully unlock all of my sensory capabilities and take everything in. I soaked it all up, all the little stories that were unfolding before my eyes in these moss-covered, steaming habitats. Each time I stopped to take a closer look, there was some surprising drama happening in the water or along the edges.

On my own, I had stumbled into this sort of learning environment where I could be fully aware and connected.  I had discovered the magic of nature and perhaps something beyond.  Cedar Brook was my kind of school. 

Today, I want to help others make the discovery.  That's why there is Artist's Kayak.