Many of you know me as artist, ex-therapist, administrator, nice girl, bad girl, and wife to Bob. But do you know the nuances of Denise Landis? Each of these “20 Things” could be an independent blog but I’ll try not to bore you. I’ll try to keep these brief. Here you go. Count down!
Redhead
20. My natural hair color is brown. I have consistently changed hair colors since my teens but especially since my hair began to gray. No gray hair for me. My current driver’s license, photo credit cards, ID’s etc. all have different hair colors making identifying me at check-outs somewhat difficult at times. I usually pull out several to remedy the problem. I prefer being a redhead but it’s too difficult to maintain. My personality fits a redhead. Today, I hate to be categorized as a “dumb blonde” and have never appreciated “dumb blonde jokes”. However, I do enjoy playing the “ditz role” from time to time….
19. I am a night owl. I go to bed late. I do all my housekeeping at night. I may do multiple crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and watch late night psychological crime dramas until I can’t keep my eyes open. This can go on for hours after going to bed.
18. My initial First Place art award was in grade school. It was a poster contest on dental hygiene. My poster’s theme was outer space! This was during the time of our country’s first lunar landing & moon walk. I continue to enjoy praise of my art and compete in lots of competitions. I’ve learned to better handle rejection from this process. I see my art as reflections of my core self. I wish I still had that poster….
17. I grew up on several scenic lakes in Arkansas. My father liked to move us to homes which were close to his favorite fishing holes. He loved boating, fishing, and camping. We spent many a weekend in stinky Army tents and mosquito net hammocks. I still love camping, boating, swimming, and simply being near water. But, I don’t fish. This is one of my “bucket list” goals. Any fishing instructors out there?
American Airlines c. 1973
16. My first “real job” out of college was as a flight attendant for American Airlines. I was 21 and initially based in Buffalo but later transferred to New York City. I loved living in New York but I was horrible at flying. I got air sick frequently. I learned to never look out the windows and to always imagine the plane on the ground. I threw up a lot on airplanes. I had to interrupt many a meal service. My poor passengers! Today, I rarely get a window seat on planes nor do I get up during flights. When I’m passenger in a vehicle, I have been known to get motion sickness when simply backing out our driveway.
Open Midrif Pantsuit
15. I made most of my clothes during high school and aspired to be a fashion model and designer. I made some pretty crazy outfits. I found this photo and had to laugh! It was during the “Mod Fashion Experience” so there were lots of holes and wild, bold fabrics! I still enjoy sewing but rarely have the time. AND, I would like to be a fabric designer with some of my current painting motifs.
Mining Hot Springs Quartz Crystals
14. From playing in mud puddles with sticks as a toddler, to mining clear quartz crystals in my home town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, I have always been a “rock hound”. Today, I walk with my head down looking at the ground in hopes of eyeing a “great find”. I make jewelry from lots of these self-found objects, rocks and minerals. I love the feel of dirt in my hands and rarely wear gloves when gardening, etc.
Rock Band Floral Pants c.1968
13. I played tambourine & sang background vocals for a rock band in high school called “Rick’s Home Brew”. Typical Arkansas, huh? Our best songs was G-L-O-R-I-A and The House of the Rising Son. I once was told by a music teacher that I performed a complete Bobbie Gentry tune on stage out of key. I was so embarrassed. I’m still tone deaf. As an aside: I can definitely role reverse with the contestants on American Idol. Today, I attempt to sing Karaoke (after a few drinks) but usually just embarrass myself! I can do a mean Talking Heads “Take Me To The River” though.
12. I grew up believing that television was the greatest invention ever. I watched soap operas with my father every day after school. His Multiple Sclerosis kept him housebound and in bed most days. We set up a hospital bed in our den so he could watch TV. Both he and I cried during touching soap opera scenes. It was probably simply a symptom of his disease but mine were tears of compassion for the characters in “our shows”. (Oh boy!) I have continued to be a TV addict and like to have it “on” for company. My favorite TV themes are reality, crime, psychology, and sociometry (the science of choice). The program, “Survivor” reminds me of my post-graduate residency in psychodrama in Washington, DC. We interns were in a constant state of both personal and group angst or exhilaration.
Playback Theatre
11. I led a drama troupe in New Jersey called “PlayBack Theatre” which consisted of audience story-telling and spontaneous improv by our troupe of actors. We were a pretty hip crew at the time. I also led a teen theatre troupe to do suicide and substance abuse prevention for elementary and middle school students. These youngsters were inpatients in the Adolescent Treatment Program where I was both their Registered Art Therapist and Certified Psychodramatist. They touched me with their honesty and bravery. My memories of these young patients continue to remind me to be honest with myself and others.
Pychodrama Interns Washington DC c.1984
10. During 1984, I worked with a psychodrama consulting group of crisis intervention specialists. Their specialties were preparing some of America’s finest men and women best resolve terrorist threats, family violence, and understand/manage the potential extreme behaviors of the mentally ill &/or substance abusers. We worked with the US Army, US Senatorial staff, Washington DC Metro & Maryland Police Departments, and the FBI. I received an Honor Award for this special training by the US Army. The intervention team was filmed for a 30-minute segment of 60 Minutes with Diane Sawyer during a training exercise about “De-escalating the Suicidal Bomber”. I played the role of a hostage.
- Tahoe Queen Wedding c.1992
9. My husband and I were married on the Tahoe Queen Paddle Wheel Boat off the beautiful Emerald Isle on Lake Tahoe by our ship’s captain. It was a private, romantic, and very personal ceremony with just the three of us and a crew member as our witness. Our families didn’t enjoy being excluded. However, since both of us had prior big weddings and eventual failed marriages, it was easy to want intimacy vs. fanfare. Our families understood. It is still one of my all-time favorite life experiences.
8. I am a true Pisces. “Most Pisces are mysterious and alluring individuals. They are extremely talented, but even though they are gifted in many ways, they still manage to spend most of their lives battling “confusing” internal struggles. The Pisces inner quest to explore their “perfect world” can lead them into some most unusual and unlikely situations. They like excitement and challenges, and are go getters as well as great leaders but also can be very lazy and self-indulged. They fantasize about life, people and romance.
My art has become my “perfect world”.
Pisces can easily become addicts and have to watch their consumption of mind & behavior altering substances. Nobody can beat them up better than they can do themselves. This is the Zodiac sign of miracles, disillusionment, and sensitivity. Pisces are psychics, visionaries, and guiding lights to all who know them”.
I have many psychic experiences. Specific ordinary images will tell me that I am communicating with a dead family member. For instance, a shooting star indicates that my mother is near so this allows me to share whatever experience I am having at the time with her. I know she’s there. A rabbit symbolizes my father-in-law’s presence; a blue hand signals that my father is with me. I use this form of guided imagery to communicate quietly with those I once loved and lost. They don’t actually talk. I do most of that! I always acknowledge these lost loves to whomever is physically with me at the time. These experiences tell me that we are not alone.
7. I hate to exercise but use a personal trainer to keep me in shape. I need the external structure…. I rarely feel the “high” from exercise probably because it doesn’t measure up to my own fantasy highs from my art and dreams. I dream of being athletic and competitive but can’t pull it off in real-time. I see myself as a stumbling klutz and shy away from games. The closest I’ve actually gotten to a competitive sport was golf. I received many pro-golf lessons as a trade for a commissioned painting. It was fun and I really wasn’t such a bad player, so my instructor said; I don’t think this guy would have lied….. or would he? I simply try not to experience board games, card games, live or telecast professional games if at all possible. However, I don’t want to offend a host. My least favorite games are at baby showers. I don’t want to suck on a baby bottle nor smell something that has a baby pooh odor. I actually don’t like competitions in general unless it’s art related.
6. I am a lucid dreamer. I can begin a dream. Stop it. Get up. Go to the bathroom and re-start it for a conclusion of my choice. Therefore, I don’t typically have bad dreams. It’s usually a half awake/half asleep experience but is quite restful because it relieves anxieties. I learned this skill in graduate school and used it to memorize presentations and written exams. See my blog post on Lucid Dream Art. https://deniselandisworks.wordpress.com/?s=Lucid+dreams.
5. I get up each morning and go straight to my MAC to check in with cyberspace. I’m a computer geek and love social networking. I encourage all my friends and relatives to at least try FaceBook. I find it the perfect way to communicate when I really don’t have the time for calls, visits, or extended letters. FaceBook decreases one’s guilt for avoiding others. I also love the voyeur aspect of seeing the photos and lives of my friends and their friends. I feel much closer to my friends who participate in social networks. It’s not nearly as difficult as one would expect. As long as I read the fine print and use filters, I feel safe. I use them both socially and professionally. See http://www.linkedin.com and denise-landis.artistwebsites.com
4. I am a nut freak! They are my trigger food for an unhealthy diet per Jenny Craig! Once I start eating them, I can’t stop. Please don’t feed me nuts! I’ll eat them all. And yes, I know they are healthy when you eat just a few daily. Impossible!
3. I love to experience home interiors and imagine them completely transformed by my own artistic visionary designs. My dream job is to be an interior designer and/or decorator. I want to enter empty houses and make them beautiful. Maybe in my old age… My own home is always in a state of flux, one project after another.
2. I have difficulty remembering my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. I feel like I didn’t really “come into being” until I was in my 30’s. Reason 1: I attribute this to my use of fantasy and imagery to cope with my real world when young. It took me a long time to appreciate “the now”. Reason 2: I also didn’t feel like an adult until both of my parents had passed away. I was 46 and no longer anyone’s child so therefore I must be a grown up. And so I became one. I much prefer being an adult than being a child, however I can be very child-like at times.
1. I would love to travel to other countries and spend time volunteering with special interest groups, especially in Italy, Ireland, Iceland, or New Zealand. I would also like to participate in artist internships with European artistic Masters when I’m in my mid-70’s. I don’t want to settle when I’m older. I would prefer to be nomadic. Luckily my husband has a similar mindset and we don’t have children to keep us “put” in our older years.
FYI: I do hope I haven’t bored you. Making this list has been self-indulging but has also allowed me to focus on some of my life’s highlights, downfalls, and their related feelings. I encourage my readers to make their own lists for an empowering experience.
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