Splendid isolation

Many people ask me if I feel isolated. I usually answer "yes", because Manitoulin Island is so far away from larger centers in Canada and we live very privately here. However, I don't think isolation is necessarily a bad thing for an artist. I really do love solitude. I'm reassured to read Nancy Crow's comments about being alone on page 290 of her newest book. "I like it. I love it. I love being by myself. I happen to believe that the more solitude you have, the more you're able to delve inside and find those rich levels of ability that are fresh. Otherwise you're allowing all this chattering constantly coming at you and you can never reach into that part of yourself, whatever that part is."