Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 12: Enough is Best – with Nadine Hawbaker
181 Plays7 years ago
When the creative impulse takes hold of you, it’s hard to let go. And if you DO let go, you are likely missing out on some of the richest treasures life has to offer: authenticity and true satisfaction. These are lessons learned and shared by our guest.
On this episode of the Uncommon Life Project Podcast, hosts Phillip Ramsey and Bryan Dewhurst talk with Nadine Hawbaker. In addition to being a delightful human being, Nadine is an accomplished artist born and raised in Iowa. She studied with Dimitar Krustev, a European schooled artist, for seven years.
She has works on permanent display in the State Capitol building in Des Moines. She has been honored to have her work commissioned by the World Food Prize, along with a number of corporate and individual commissions. What you’ll learn about in this episode:
- How to fan the flames of your creativity
- The power of making mistakes
- Why, even if you cannot pursue it full time, finding ways to be creative is crucial
- The power of understanding who you are and uncovering the gifts you have
- Why boldness should by nurtured and encouraged
- Passion and heart are not the only things, but they’re far from nothing
- Opportunities don’t just fall in your lap – you have to pick them up and do something with them
- Why just wanting to sell a piece of art for a lot of money is the wrong place to start
- The importance of never flatly turning down an opportunity
- What it means to live by the adage: enough is best
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to the Uncommon Life Project
00:00:02
Speaker
Everyone dreams about living an uncommon life, but how we define that dream is very different for each of us. And for most, it's a lifelong pursuit. Welcome to the Uncommon Life Project podcast. We're going to introduce you to people who are living that life or enjoying the journey to get there. We're going to also give you some tools, tricks, and tips for starting or accelerating your own efforts to live an uncommon life.
00:00:27
Speaker
A life worth celebrating and savoring.
Meet Nadine Ha-Baker
00:00:30
Speaker
Please welcome your hosts, Brian Dewhurst and Phillip Ramsey. Hello, everybody. I am your host, Phillip Ramsey. And this is Brian Dewhurst. Thank you so much, Starr, for that beautiful intro. We really appreciate that. Today we have such a wonderful guest on the show. Nadine Ha-Baker is with us. And funny story, I am sitting in her living room right now and Brian is in the office. So we have a...
00:00:56
Speaker
little different kind of scenario for our folks, and I can't wait to just dive into all the wealth of information that Nadine has for us. So let's give her the quick bio. She has had many artists. She is a painter through and through, an artist extraordinaire. She has 12 of her paintings as a permanent display of the state capitol.
00:01:18
Speaker
and that she has done many different paintings for different companies around the Des Moines area, but that's not all. That's not all. We have an international renowned artist with us today. She is featured in the World Food Prize and did several paintings and posters for that organization that are featured all over the world today.
00:01:40
Speaker
And so welcome Nadine Hobaker. It's good to be here with you. I can't wait to jump right in.
Nadine's Artistic Beginnings
00:01:45
Speaker
Okay, so let's start with what is your earliest memory of thinking that you might want to learn more about painting and being an artist? Well, my earliest memory is my father was a commercial artist and did quite a bit of artwork at home as well. So naturally I paid a lot of attention to him and just got very interested in it.
00:02:06
Speaker
started doing it myself little by little. When you were, so we need to probably mention this, you are how old? 75 years old. 75 years young. Yikes. Now when you were in school, did they have a lot of outlets for you to paint and do that stuff? No. Really? No. One thing I remember distinctly is I was in a high school class, art class, probably 12th grade, and we're cutting and pasting something kind of
00:02:34
Speaker
boring, I guess. And I looked across the room and there's a girl standing at an easel painting. Something clicked in my brain. I knew that was for me. Really? How old were you in that? Well, senior high. Okay. High school. But it clicked in my brain. That's amazing. I think about that. I just got a picture of my son. He's in fourth grade and he painted a picture in school. So I think it's,
00:03:03
Speaker
a testament to what you're saying, how much things have changed. And I think they're probably trying to take it out of school now because of the budget shortfalls and all that, but yeah, definitely different. So how do you scratch that itch after senior high?
Mentorship and Artistic Growth
00:03:15
Speaker
You see that, you see something you like. Well, then I get married, I have children, and I
00:03:22
Speaker
was raising children first, but then when the children started school, all of them in school, then I knew I just needed to find the best instructor I could find. And I found a man who was trained in the academy method in Europe, rare bird in this part of the world.
00:03:41
Speaker
So I thank my lucky stars for that. I studied with him off and on for maybe five or six years. They went to Mexico part of the year and came back. So anything I could get, I took. And of course then self-study, self-research. Studied in oil first, you know, a lot of different mediums and settled on watercolor.
00:03:59
Speaker
Wow. Okay. So that's a long time period from when you saw it, right? Like am I, you're thinking the same thing. Yeah, exactly. From, from when you saw it to like, that's what I want to do to where you actually put a brush to a paper. Yes. What was going on? It's just, I just got to get through life. I've got to be like 10, 15 years, right? From senior high school to
00:04:20
Speaker
Yeah, it was a while. Well, again, I have to say my father was commercially oriented. And we had it instilled in us that, you know, fine art is is a fun thing, but that really isn't much of a bread, you know, yeah, on the bacon. Not a financial thing. No, not a financial thing. So I just put myself on the back burner, I would say I was always doing very creative things. I could not not do that. Sure. But the painting,
00:04:48
Speaker
just became something I was going to do. It was an inner fire, and I think if that's there, that's really not to be denied. No, I agree. So who was the mentor that you studied under? What was his name? His name is Dimitar Khrushchev from Bulgaria, and he had a lot of fine training. He was not particularly diplomatic, which many people
00:05:13
Speaker
it found it offensive. And I just wanted to have somebody who was knowledgeable to be truthful with me. So I just thought it was great.
Balancing Family and Art
00:05:21
Speaker
Where were you living? Where were you living at this point? In Beaverdale. And how did you get hooked up with the guy from? They lived in Beaverdale. I looked him up in the phone book. This is a serendipitous thing that happens throughout my life. And I just called him up one day and said,
00:05:36
Speaker
I really want to learn. Well, you got the right. So from there on, I was on my way studying, learning, painting at home after the kids went to bed, after my husband was in bed. Everybody, I'm up painting at night.
00:05:51
Speaker
We're the first ones good. This is a quick answer. I'm glad you asked that because so many people and I taught later on are so fearful of making a mistake or doing something that isn't acceptable. And I just never had that. I don't know.
00:06:08
Speaker
But I just know, were they all good? Heavens no. You swim through the mud, I call it swimming through the mud, for a long time where the colors kind of almost together and it looks like a very unattractive brown a lot.
00:06:23
Speaker
So you learn, I mean, you know, it's a long process. It's not a quick journey. Sure. So you mentioned your father. Yes. That was instrumental in kind of getting you that way, but it might not be a way of life or something that you get paid for. So then you get married. You have another now instrumental male figure in your life. Yes. What did he think about painting? He loved what I did. He wanted me to do it. He encouraged me to do it.
00:06:48
Speaker
And at the time, we had small children, not a ton of money sitting around. And it was costly, but it was so rewarding.
00:06:58
Speaker
He encouraged me to take this trip to Mexico, which I did oil painting up and down the hills of Mexico, getting bruised by my French easel, carting it around. But it was the greatest thing because that was baptism by fire because you would paint in the streets with people all around you. So you lost your inhibitions about being watched or seen or judged early on. Wow. Wow.
00:07:22
Speaker
I'm like just soaking it in. It's like hard to formulate the next question because this is like, oh my gosh, this is amazing.
00:07:29
Speaker
So you said something before we got started, Adina, I want to key in on, because it's kind of something, and your dog is with us too, so we're just, it's going to be one of those. She's here. So, but you made a comment, and it's short and it's powerful, and it sounds maybe a cliche, but I think it's so true, is you didn't get into painting to earn, but to learn. Can you shed light on that and that inner fire you talked about? Surely.
The Joy of Art Beyond Earnings
00:07:56
Speaker
I'm just going to back up a little bit. We were raised in a family that did not necessarily prize having a lot of things. So that wasn't my impetus. But I was, it was just a determination to learn about it. I mean, just a real fire to learn about art. And the beauty of it is there's no end, you know, ever to the learning process. You can never know it. And that's what I find so exciting. So
00:08:23
Speaker
I just jumped in and started learning. Well, we did portraits from life a lot, oil paintings, quite a bit of life drawing. And then, you know, because we do touch on the seven sources of residual income and money, your husband's income was really supporting the family, which allowed you to kind of take the time to really soak all this in and learn. Is that correct?
00:08:48
Speaker
Absolutely. I think without that, it would have been very difficult, as you can understand, people working another full-time job, people do it, but it takes a lot more determination.
Art and Genuine Connections
00:09:00
Speaker
I still feel I would have found a way always to be creative, but it would have been on a lesser scale for sure. What was the first painting that you sold?
00:09:11
Speaker
that I sold. It was probably a pet portrait. I've done a lot of pet portraiture over the years and my first actual oil painting was bread going into a pizza oven and I was in a class where
00:09:29
Speaker
everybody's doing anything else and I'm painting food which tells you something about me. But I don't remember the exact first painting I sold but here and there I just started selling and this gets to the point of marketing. I didn't set out to market myself. It just sort of happened.
00:09:54
Speaker
That's a hard thing to explain, but if you are outgoing and care about people and truly want to connect, you're connecting, it's a hard thing. If you're soul to soul, that will resonate without your making big efforts at marketing. How did you land on watercolor? Why did you think that you were drawn to that?
00:10:20
Speaker
Well, that's a good question. And I try to think back when I actually picked it up, I was not trained in watercolor. But oil painting to me seemed, I loved oil painting, but the turpentine and the cleaning the brushes and all that, it was hard to carry around and quickly do a painting set up and tear down.
00:10:39
Speaker
So I started messing with watercolor. When I did, I knew that that was my medium. There was no question. It's like, OK, I'm home. This is it. And I thought I was happy in oil. I did. And then, whoa, this is exciting. Watercolor does a lot of things without my help. I mean, it's wonderful. So that is my medium. That's great.
00:11:03
Speaker
What was it like, I'm just trying to like, I'm still kind of enthralled with how you got started. What did your like friends and, I know your dad was obviously supportive, but like what were your friends and neighbors when you started getting into this and you're going around to Mexico, you know, doing this stuff? Because this was the 60s or 70s? It was a ways back. I was trying to remember 30 some maybe when I went to Mexico, but
00:11:28
Speaker
maybe younger than that. You know, it's kind of funny. I didn't talk about it a lot. I just was doing what I was doing. And, you
Art and Music's Societal Value
00:11:38
Speaker
know, I'd have some interest and then somebody buy one off of me here and there. But again, I wasn't really into marketing. It just sort of snowballed as I kept working and, oh, you're doing that. And then nobody made a big deal out of it. And I certainly didn't either. It was just something I was doing.
00:11:58
Speaker
Very cool. When you look, you know, we deal with a lot of people, Nadine, that, you know, they're working a job nine to five and they're looking for this shift in the, you know, the R word in retirement and then their life is going to be different. You're obviously still painting and we've talked to you about that. What has that been like to have been having pursued your passion for so long? And when you see, in contrast, that was so much of what society is doing, you know, where do you kind of, what's your perspective on that?
00:12:26
Speaker
on how our society is going. I think we're way out of balance. That's my personal feeling. Art and music, all of these things contribute to our life, certainly as much as any other aspect. And if you shortchange it,
00:12:44
Speaker
You're short changing quite a bit in the human psyche. I think mm-hmm. I agree I agree, you know, and I think so many people want to do stuff and They just it gets put on the back burner and that fire starts to die out What what has kind of kept you going with painting? I just think the sheer joy of it There's nothing like it for me to go out and paint plein air is is thrilling so
00:13:13
Speaker
I think it's a lifelong thing for me. It's who I am. It's not like I chose it. It's like, this is what I am. I can't really be anything else than this. And what I would like to share with people is that being fearful, being afraid of being judged, being worried that people won't like what you do is really a stumbling block and it stops a lot of people from pursuing. And I think that's sad because if you have it in you,
00:13:42
Speaker
do it. The worst that can happen is you may not achieve. I certainly haven't maybe achieved what I hope to, but hey, I'm still young, right? Absolutely. Let's talk about that. Like what was your vision starting out as, you know, cause I think it's easy in business, right? Like we're going to go conquer, you know, this industry or build this or have that building or make this. What, what are the goals as an artist? What were those like for you?
00:14:10
Speaker
okay, this is going to be funny again because I didn't really set goals. They kind of fell into my lap. Now that sounds very strange, but I just kind of eased into doing art shows, art fairs. I had enough paintings around. I started doing that. Well, then that started being successful. And then
00:14:31
Speaker
I'm out at a show and I have a painting that I did of the Capitol Statuary and then Bankers Trust people contacted me and had a showing there and it just kept snowballing and snowballing. They kind of fell into my lap, truly.
00:14:45
Speaker
Talk to me about Dittmer. Dimitar. He kind of trained you, mentored you. And then when was that where you, do you still communicate? Did you just communicate throughout the years with him? Or when did that kind of go on to the next? Well, kind of off and on. But I think they spent more and more time in Mexico and now I don't know where
00:15:04
Speaker
He and his wife, I don't know where they are now. But it was certainly a huge thing in my life and I mean, so thankful for the training I received. Then it's just a lot of just research. Study the best. I'm not looking at painters like myself, I'm looking at the masters and studying from them. Yeah.
00:15:30
Speaker
Let me ask you this. We talked a lot about in past shows about sacrifices. What have you had to sacrifice to do what you're passionate about today? I don't feel like it's a sacrifice at all. I'm sure I could have earned a lot more money, but I'm fine.
00:15:47
Speaker
The joy and the journey I've had has been absolutely priceless to me and am having. So I don't think you can put a value on it. It's just been extraordinary. And I do not feel that I've sacrificed at all. I've just been blessed that I found it. That's why I encourage people, if you have a fire in you, to follow it. Because if you miss who you are and bringing that into being, you've missed a really important part of your life.
00:16:17
Speaker
I've shared with you Nadine, my grandma, there's a painting in my parents' house and I asked my folks one time, I was like, who painted that or where did you get that? And my mom said, well, that was actually my mom painted it. It was under a different, she had a different pen name on the painting than her real name and so I didn't know who it was.
00:16:35
Speaker
you know, she was divorced and was working two jobs and ultimately passed away, but that was the only painting that she ever had done. And it was just amazing. And I, I, I'm so fascinated with you and your story, I think in two of, of just that very thing of not having, she didn't have that spousal support, you know, not only of the encouragement and the emotional encouragement, but just the financial support too, you know, to fan that flame that she had for,
00:17:01
Speaker
for art and creativity. And so it's just such a testament, I think, to what you're saying, you know, of just not giving up on that. And having support, too, is pretty important because I think I might not have pursued it as much as I did without that support.
00:17:21
Speaker
Are your kids creative or have they followed? They're all creative in their own ways. They don't paint. But you know, the way I look at it, there is art in everything. There's art in what you are doing here. There's art in every aspect of life. So they're creative. Oh, yes. And they value what I do. You know, when I was making a downsizing movie, do not sell any of your paintings. Don't let any of those go. You know, I may have my closets are jammed with paintings and frames.
00:17:50
Speaker
The clothes have to be elsewhere. Not only have you been poured into by other people, you are now pouring into other people, right, and other children and teaching others.
Encouraging Young Talent
00:18:02
Speaker
So talk to us about that in your life now and how important is that.
00:18:06
Speaker
Well, and I'm just gonna say I did teach over the years. I taught at the Des Moines Art Center and then at my home. And now I'm doing an after school reading program with children. But this is an opportunity for me when you're a child, having been there myself, you have no idea what gifts you have in you and we all do. And if you give that,
00:18:29
Speaker
idea to children early on and just lay it out. You have a lot of gifts you don't even know about and get them excited about. Well, try this, try that. No harm in trying. Maybe it's your thing. Maybe it isn't. But if you don't try a lot of things, you may miss your thing that you really want to do. So I'm instilling this, I hope, with the children I'm working with now. Definitely. So cool.
00:18:55
Speaker
What are you most excited about as a painter right now? Planar painting. What? Come again? Going out of doors with your paint and painting. And it doesn't matter what it is, just go out and paint. And it's always a joy.
00:19:16
Speaker
Yeah, just go Google Nadine Habaker and look at some of the watercolors that she's painting. They are amazing, amazing. And so I think just when I think about you, Nadine, I think about all just, you're just so content about whatever you have. And I've always thought that about you. What's that, I wanna talk about that logo that you have on your wall and how did that play into your whole, the course of your whole life? Well, it's a big, big part.
00:19:46
Speaker
as a, I'll go back to my father again. But what's the saying, first of all? Oh, the saying, it's a Swedish saying, and he's Swedish, that's where I was going.
00:19:56
Speaker
It's Lagam Arbost, that's Swedish for enough is best, which is how our whole family was raised. In other words, my dad would say, why do you want to have a brand new car? If you drive an older car, you won't care if somebody just bums it up or bangs into it a little bit. Or why do you want to have more than anyone else? You don't have to worry about things if you don't have things people want. That stayed with all of us our whole lives long.
00:20:24
Speaker
And it's been a very important factor because we really, I would say of my siblings and my children, they don't put a great store in what we have. It's more about what you're doing and how you are living your life. There's a lot of wisdom in there.
00:20:45
Speaker
We could just end it now and it'd be amazing. We got so many other questions though. I'm gonna just
Impactful Projects and Challenges
00:20:50
Speaker
go on. So when you talked about your pursuit of this art and painting, what were some surprises or things that you weren't expecting along the way? You mean jobs that came my way? Oh, yeah. Yeah, we can talk about jobs. We can talk about anything. Relationships or...
00:21:09
Speaker
Yeah. Well, let's see. Well, the food prize is huge. That one was dropped in my lap, actually. Someone called me one evening out of the blue and said, gee, would you be interested in doing this poster for the World Food Prize? Someone has had it, and it hasn't gotten done. And they have a week left, and would I do that? And oh, this sounds kind of hard in a week's time, and I don't even know what you want. And I almost turned it down.
00:21:36
Speaker
And then I talked to my son and and I said gee, I just I still know this a couple days and do this big painting He says well, why wouldn't you do it?
00:21:47
Speaker
Sometimes you need your children. And I thought, OK, I'm doing it. If I fall flat on my face, that'll just be all right. And I found out this, of course, was a worldwide organization. It's the top scientists in the world gather. And then one is given big recognition for their work annually. So meeting Dr. Borlaug doing his 90th birthday painting and presenting at the Rouen Building.
00:22:13
Speaker
And doing then for many years after that, the food prize poster of the winners of the food prize. I did a painting for Governor Ray for his 75th birthday. And mind you, these were montages. I had never done one when they asked me to do this painting in maybe four days. And I'd never done one. They give you several elements, many elements, and then you design the painting and get it together.
00:22:43
Speaker
And after I did the first painting for the food prize, I met a couple of the men in charge at a coffee shop and they started visiting and then I found out how big that organization is. They're like, well, I just got off the plane from London and they're excited about it. They're like, whoa, my knees kind of buckled as I walked away. But, you know, it was just a great challenge. So that happened for me. I did the
00:23:09
Speaker
Dam to Dam race had a poster. They were going to have a contest for the artists that got to do their poster. So I got to ride in the truck that precedes the runners and photograph all the way down. This was the year before the big deal I did. And that was exciting. I'm sitting in the back with some guy from Kenya and we're talking about the runners and he's telling me who's ahead and who's going to fade pretty fast. That's pretty exciting. And then I did get to do a drawing for
00:23:40
Speaker
A man who was a navigator on the PBY plane in World War II, so he had me do a painting of the whole crew. It was a drawing, actually, and the plane behind them. And then he had many, many prints made for their family. They were very bonded by that World War II experience.
00:23:57
Speaker
And of course, along the way then I read biographies and stories about, you know, I learned all about the PBY plane, just asked me and I know. And so I'm learning all along many things that I had no idea. Sure. Talk to us about, cause it seems like just when I, you know, I Googled you cause we do that with all of our guests and, um,
00:24:18
Speaker
your painting of Barack Obama came up.
Painting Barack Obama
00:24:21
Speaker
Yes. It seems like it's, you know, pretty renowned in terms of presidential paintings and portraits. Can you talk about that? Well, I was very passionate about supporting Barack Obama for president in 2008. So because I'm a painter, of course, he just had this wonderful, wonderful countenance that I wanted to capture and paint. So I
00:24:46
Speaker
Went out to Adele when he was campaigning. There were probably maybe only 100 people there if that at a farm in Adele and I'm
00:24:55
Speaker
traveling around trying to get the best shot. I'm taking a bunch of pictures and I'm kind of being conspicuous because I had Secret Service-y looking people following me around. So I did that and then a lot of people liked it so I gave those as gifts to people working on the campaign and then actually out east one of the volunteers sold it to go toward the campaign as well, which with my blessing I was very happy for that.
00:25:22
Speaker
He has a wonderful countenance. When I get moved by something, I just do it. She hasn't painted us yet. So you haven't moved me yet, but you have a chance yet. Yes, that's right. Wow. So we were talking a few months ago, Nadine, and you said you were going on vacation. I think it was with your son, right? Yes. And then you were just going to take your stuff and just travel kind of around and just paint.
00:25:49
Speaker
Yep. And so I just kind of wonderful. How did that go? And then do you do that often? Well, when, when I'm with someone, of course I don't paint as much as when I'm by myself, but do I paint outside often? I do. And yes, I made a trip over to the Mississippi this year with friends and, um,
00:26:10
Speaker
we were going to paint over there. It ended up being not good weather, but I do go out and paint every chance I get. And when, you know, like when I go on vacation, my paints are easy to set up, do a painting, and then, you know, enjoy other people. I could just paint all day long, but then that's not fun for anyone else.
00:26:32
Speaker
Let me ask you this because I want to leave some of our listeners, maybe even artists out there, how would they sell and market or how would you create a business of what you know now because you kind of have and how would you, what advice to them would you give?
Advice for Aspiring Artists
00:26:49
Speaker
You know, I think the bottom line, the very bottom line is be authentic. Be passionate about what you're painting.
00:26:56
Speaker
And be sure to put your heart in it. I do have a da Vinci quote in my bedroom, which speaks to this, which if your spirit and your hand aren't one, then you're not creating art.
00:27:09
Speaker
So if you bear that in mind, and obviously we miss the mark a lot, but if you stay authentic and you're just truly meaning well, it seems to me that just people flock to you. I set out by the Mississippi River one time. It was sort of raining a little bit. My husband had gone somewhere else, and I set up with my little easel on down there with some drizzling rain on me.
00:27:33
Speaker
And this restaurant owner comes down the hill with a cup of coffee for me, some cream. Would you like sugar? And I mean, just in talking with me. Well, then I get to know him, get to hear his history, told us all about it. So all of these things, it's just important just to be there and be who you are. You will attract people and you will
00:27:54
Speaker
I believe you will do well. Yeah. That's like a good advice for any business, not just painters. No, no, no, it's a universal thing. Yeah. It's, it's you, you, you fellows have it as well. If you're genuine and you're truthful and you're meaning well, good things come your way. What other advice do you have for listeners? I don't know what else to like, just, just keep talking.
00:28:20
Speaker
I don't know. That's been it. But I can't count the number of times that serendipitous things have happened for me because I've been open to it. Do you have time for me to quickly tell a quick story? Yes. Are you kidding me? Okay. I was working down at the Artist's Emporium, which is next to Java Joe's one time.
00:28:42
Speaker
I, a woman walked in and she was a Discovery Toy Saleswoman and I'm reading a Tony Robbins book. He's an international motivational speaker. And she said, well, you know, would you be interested in coming to this Discovery Toy thing on Friday? And she says, my husband can't come and we already paid for the ticket. And I said, well,
00:29:02
Speaker
Sure, you know, why not? So I go to the discovery toy convention without any bag or anything, I'm just there. And I'm not a big fan of motivational speakers generally, but he was again, I believe he comes from such an authentic place, asking people essentially to bring forth
00:29:21
Speaker
What you have in you? Why are you letting it die inside? Get it out. So before we left the building that day, it was at the Civic Center, I believe, he said, bring to your mind something you really want to do. That was the day I said, I'm going to paint all of the statuary at the Des Moines Capitol.
00:29:42
Speaker
I had no backer, I had no otter, I'm just going to do it. So I did 12 large pieces, and again, I've told the story, then they ended up doing very well. But it was in me, obviously, and it was really rather subconscious. I wasn't even aware of it. So take every opportunity that comes your way, you never know what door you're closing if you don't. Wow. I really want to ask, what's the most expensive painting you ever sold? But I don't want to go there because I don't want to put you in the spot.
00:30:11
Speaker
Well, I don't, 1,500. Okay, that's not bad. What is a painting you're most proud of, would you say? Well, I'm just not a proud person, just let's say that. But one that just blew me away is when I went to see Memoirs of a Geisha.
00:30:30
Speaker
the movie. I was so moved by the movie, I came home and this painting just spilled out. It wasn't an actual scene in the movie, but it just came out. And I entered it in a couple shows and I thought, well, they're gonna think, what does she know about Japan? She probably hasn't been there. Why did she pick this? Well, it actually won a couple of very big prizes because it's authentic again. It was my feeling about the women and the oppression
00:30:59
Speaker
that they were dealing with. That's amazing. What do you have? What do you have right over there? The other day was, is it National Women's Day? I believe. Yeah. And so what he kind of mentioned earlier, but I'd like to kind of push in on it. Who are the people that have inspired you or when you look at other artists, who are you following or keeping track of?
00:31:21
Speaker
Well, it's not current people. It's people in the past, John Singer Sargent, my favorite artist, the old masters.
00:31:36
Speaker
when you go to the big museums and you and you see paintings which I have in books and you see them in person your jaw drops to the floor and you try to pick it up slowly but I mean it's that it's that moving and look at the gift they gave to the world and if you are fearful and you don't want to try your word that
00:31:56
Speaker
That's what I ran into the most with generally with students. It's just they want to produce a good painting and care how they get there or what it has in it. And it's really a backward approach in my mind. I think we need to encourage, go for things. Try it. Ball in your face, you know. You're going to learn something. You will learn something. Yeah.
00:32:20
Speaker
Wow, if I could think of, if I could sum up this whole thing, it'd be, be genuine, be authentic, and enough is best. That'd be pretty good? And fan the flame. Fan the flame. Get it, Brian. There's a good one. Brian's on point.
00:32:35
Speaker
I love it. Yeah. Well, I do. I think I've always resonated with UNAD and I even say sometimes more to fill up just because of that, you know, kind of humility or whatever. But, you know, I think what we do is financial art and I've always viewed it that way and, you know, trying to get people to tell their story of what they really want, what is life really about to them.
00:32:55
Speaker
and then meeting them in that vein, you know, with their numbers and all that. And so I've always just, yeah, been drawn to the creative side. And so, yeah, I think naturally I've been kind of drawn to you and your story and just what I've gone through with my own grandma. So, yeah, just thank you so much for the time today and just sharing the wisdom in your heart and your experiences is beautiful. How does our listeners find out more about you?
00:33:21
Speaker
Well, do you have a Facebook page? I do not. I'm so low-tech. Well, I have a Facebook page. I'm sorry. I just don't have a web page, but I am on Facebook. Okay. So you can reach out to Nadine on Facebook. Reach out and say hello. Yes. May I interject one more thing? Yes. I was asked to speak at DMACC a couple years, a few years back, and they brought in
00:33:46
Speaker
well-known speakers and then they asked local people people like myself to come and speak to their students because they had a big concern that young people today are not thinking about what makes them tick and what they might bring to the world that they're basically just thinking and understandably so but how can I make money and how much can I make and how do I get there and and really we're doing a disservice to our young people by not addressing well to all of us really by not
00:34:15
Speaker
but by not trying to understand who we are because we all have gifts to bring to the table. Totally. Definitely.
00:34:21
Speaker
It was interesting, even, you know, my son, I saw his painting at school at parent-teacher conferences, and he said it wasn't done. Not to say he was ashamed of it, but there was that fear, I think, and intimidation as a young person of like, you know, could it be better? What do people think? And it was just like, you know, to me as his father, it was like one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Yes. But I definitely think there is that pressure now in our children, and especially with social media, the comparison and
00:34:49
Speaker
Oh, there is keeping up with all that. So very true. Also, I spent a
00:34:58
Speaker
Well, I had a booth at the fair in the cultural building one year. And the best thing I got to do was, well, I demoed every few hours. And I would just ask someone to come up and start painting on my painting. Well, here's the difference. The parent would just be horrified when I'd say to the child, well, yes, come my way. Just pick up a brush. And oh my goodness. Ah. Well, children are so if they're not being
00:35:25
Speaker
oppressed by you know mom or dad like we do we're worried for them and you know this one little boy came up used to put a big red splash on my painting well okay I'll incorporate it probably made it better and the and if we can encourage that in children which I'm trying to do with the children I'm working with is just be bold oh that was my favorite quote for students was Goethe
00:35:50
Speaker
It's the one, and I'm not going to do it verbatim, but it's whatever you can dream or think you can do, begin it. Moldness has genius, power, and magic in it. I believe that to my core. I think, too, what a testament to leave our listeners with.
00:36:07
Speaker
you know, just come up and letting people paint on your picture. And I think that's a symbolic, you know, statement about our life, right? Yes. Letting people just paint in our lives and being open to, you know, those people you haven't even met yet or just the gifts and talents of other people.
00:36:24
Speaker
That's exactly it and wanting to know about them and knowing that you're interested in them and where they are. Like I say, you'll draw people like a magnet if you do that because you're coming from an authentic place and I might interject one other thing. I had a student years ago who was a professor at Iowa State University and he said he really wanted to take lessons from me and I said,
00:36:49
Speaker
You know, I had had no training in teaching I backdoored into that one too and he's I said well What is your what is the subject you teach and he said I teach the history and philosophy of teaching? But he was quite happy so Nadine I can't thank you enough for your time and expertise and it really is wisdom so I hope everyone got as much out of it as I know Brian and I did and
00:37:16
Speaker
If you liked it, guys, please subscribe to our, obviously, podcast. You've been listening to the Uncommon Life Project with Nadine Habaker. Brian Dewhurst and Phil Bramsey, please reach out to us if you have any questions and we'll go from there. Thank you so much, guys. You're welcome. Thanks, Nadine.
00:37:34
Speaker
That's all for this episode of The Uncommon Life Project, brought to you by Uncommon Wealth Partners. Be sure to visit uncommonwealth.com to learn more about our services. Don't miss an episode as we introduce you to inspiring people who are actively pursuing an uncommon life.