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This week's life note, we share the chair with one of our longest standing artist inspirations.

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Welcome to Life Notes from Chair 17,

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a podcast dedicated to sharing life stories,

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wisdoms and inspirations as we navigate life's journey,

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post chas to share thoughtful perspectives and insights from her own life journey.

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As well as those of special guests, contributors tune in for thoughtful conversations about lessons learned wisdoms,

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gained experiences, had and inspirations shared.

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Find us where you get your podcasts and be sure to hit follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode.

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Now, enjoy this week's episode.

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All righty. Welcome back in friends to another episode of Life Notes from J 17.

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I'm your host ch and as always,

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I thank you once again for finding me in this corner of the podcast universe.

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As returning c 17 years know,

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I always like to start out each episode.

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Thanking you for your continued support and tuning in each week.

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And if you happen to be a new listener,

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you might have just found us on one of the major podcast platforms,

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or maybe you're tuning in via our website out on life notes from chair 17 podcast.com a warm welcome to you.

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Thank you for wanting to check us out. Hope you like what you hear and you will want to stick around.

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And if this happens to be your very first episode,

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you are tuning into a pretty special one for me personally.

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And I know that I have teased over the course of doing some of these episodes.

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I always seem to call each episode special.

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No, this one really is uh it is another in our share the chair series.

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And I have the great pleasure of speaking with Ellie Cornell,

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who some of you who might have listened to our when Thriller meant Halloween episode,

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recognize the name as she is and was the actress who portrayed Rachel Carruthers in Halloween for the return of Michael Myers.

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And I've often times on this podcast,

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talked about my love of horror films and really it started with that film and her character in particular has influenced pretty much most of the protagonist characters I have ever written ever since I was 12 or 13 whenever I saw that film.

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But she is also a painter and she hails from an area in the United States and has a long standing history of being a resident of Nantucket Island,

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which is about 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts,

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which for international listeners that is on the east coast of the US and the journey that she has been on both as an actor as well as a painter is why I wanted to bring her on the show and to be able to talk in depth with her about essentially her artist's beginnings and how each of those journeys has shaped her life up until this point.

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I will say it was an incredible hour or so that we talked.

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This episode is probably gonna run a lot longer than normal,

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but I guarantee you that it is worth listening to because she has some amazing,

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inspiring uplifting ways in which she has embraced,

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not only her artist spirit, but also wanting to create a space and encourage people to do the same.

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So we talked all things being a working actor and not necessarily having been uh uh an easy path to finding and making a living that way,

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we've talked all things uh the the painting journey,

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which is something that was she was doing while she was an actor uh as part of another outlet,

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another creative outlet, the importance of having creative outlets.

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We talked a lot about the our mutual love of Nantucket Island.

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And I'm saying that as somebody who did not have the good fortune of visiting there a lot or being able to have a family there or a family residence there.

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So she is what I would call it a tried and true old time Nantucket.

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And so it was really lovely for me as just a,

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a tourist lover of Nantucket or to be able to kind of hold my own and talk about mutual places that we both loved and why the island itself is an inspiration just in and of its setting.

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And for many of us who have creative and artistic uh parts of us that we are expressing or we are maybe finding new ways to express.

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There really is not a better place in which to be able to do that.

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So she is a joy to talk to.

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She is uh funny and just down to earth.

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And I, I mentioned it in the diary of a first time Comic Conner episode when I had the privilege of being able to just meet Jodie Whittaker for a very short period of time.

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And this idea that you shouldn't, sometimes you don't want to meet the people that have inspired you for long periods of time or you've looked up to because maybe there's some part of them that it's not quite what you thought I have to say she was everything and then some and she actually has graciously,

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let's see if we can make this work, agreed to come back onto the podcast in October of this year.

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So that should be 2024. Uh And we will talk all things essentially Halloween four and five of which she was in both of those films because we could have gone down quite a few rabbit holes in talking all things about those two films.

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So I sincerely thank Ellie for her time and just her energy and her good natured.

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And it was a true joy. I hope that all of you will also enjoy listening to it,

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especially if you are creative and you are an artist or you have that in your spirit.

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She has some wonderful words of wisdom and some life experiences to share,

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which is what we are about on this podcast.

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Again, this will run a lot longer than normal.

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Uh But I guarantee it is worth it. So as always,

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I ask you to be kind to yourself,

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take it one hour at a time, one day at a time and enjoy the episode,

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Ellie. There. I am nothing like technical difficulties,

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right? Sorry, no worries,

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no worries, sincerely appreciate you wanting to do this.

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And it's a real honor actually for me.

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So I've known of you for a long time.

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This is going to be one of those things where I've known you,

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but you haven't known me. So,

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yeah. No, I know, I know, I heard, I heard your thriller and,

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and uh Halloween story. Oh, you did?

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Ok. So you don't have,

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I don't have to explain that then. So that was great.

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It was, it was a great show. Um Yeah,

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you and I I've pretty much written every uh protagonist character with some version of Rachel in the character for all of my life.

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I don't blame you. I didn't write her.

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So I can say that. Yeah, I get it.

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You get it. So talk about that push record.

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What are you doing? Yeah. No, I,

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I am uh I am thrilled so I welcome you into wanting to be part of our share of the Cherry series and as viewers.

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I think it's awesome. Oh, thank you.

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It's, it's been something that's been a little bit of a labor of love for me,

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but it has been also a great creative outlet,

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which is kind of why I wanted to not kind of,

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but actually why I wanted to bring you on because Ellie is uh had did star and play my most favorite character of any horror movie ever.

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And she has very graciously been pursuing a different artists journey since acting.

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And I would as, as somebody who thanks to social media could follow you or find you nowadays,

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back in the old days, we couldn't really do that.

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I was really inspired by the art that you're doing now and the artist in you uh with the water colors and the paintings as well as the setting of Nantucket Island,

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which uh I've had the privilege to visit it twice.

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And I also was very inspired by that setting.

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So that's kind of the gist of our conversation today is when and how you had the first inklings as an artist and as a creative and how that's kind of grown over time.

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So I'll start by asking you know,

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when did you feel like or what was your first maybe creative or artists?

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Memory as a child? Did it come from any part of your family or were there artistic folks in your family?

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Um No, there aren't.

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I'll tell you about my siblings later in the show because they're all extremely creative.

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But no, I'm the only only actor and I would say fine artist.

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We have a glass blower and a fly tire,

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a lot of creativity. But I'm the only one on my specific path and I don't know where it came from.

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But I do remember, like,

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I don't know what created it, but I remember specifically,

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I mean, I think I was in kindergarten at the,

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at the, you know, I, I was in a play,

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right? I was in Snow White and I got to play,

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I got cast as the old lady and I was the,

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the witch and I was so fired up because I didn't have to,

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you know, like most little girls want the beautiful pink dress.

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I couldn't wait to have the poison apple.

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And I just remember even before that thinking this is what I wanna do and I have no idea where it came from and it,

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and it certainly wasn't, um, you know,

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like a lot of people in show business and I've really been hearing it a lot lately,

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um, came at it from a point of lack,

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you know, like some sort of void that needed to be filled.

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I didn't have a void at that age. I mean, I, I don't know where it came from but it's just something that was always in my craw and I pursued it from the go.

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Yeah. And you, uh, you,

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were you, so, if it starts in kindergarten,

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right. Sometimes we're just bitten by some sort of creative bug.

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I have that same feeling about music and how I want to start playing drums and my mom wouldn't let me.

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So I ended up playing my mattress for about 10 years before I could actually really even sit at a drum set.

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That's a great episode. If you haven't checked that one out,

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that takes my whole, my daughter's a drummer.

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Oh, fantastic. Well, there you go. Um, but my mom wouldn't let me.

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So I had to figure out something to put this outlet in.

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Um, did you, were you then in school productions,

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like all up and through, uh,

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let's say elementary high school. And then I do know you went off to Rollins College in Florida and you did major in theater arts.

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And so you really just threw yourself into kind of that school,

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play theater, actor, kind of environment through schooling until college I did.

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But the weird thing about college is that I was all,

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there was just weird dichotomy because I was like, also a sorority girl which I secretly deep down didn't really stand but I did it because I thought that's what we all did.

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And so I look like a debutante.

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And I was one of those too and I secretly thought it was really stupid.

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But, um, so at the same time I was a sorority girl.

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I was also a theater arts major and I was one of the only students not on scholarship.

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So I wasn't part of that group.

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You know, I was kind of stuck somewhere in the middle, but I pursued it like the devil.

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And um when I graduated,

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my advisor said, I think you should apply to the Yale School of Drama.

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And I was like, you know what, I'm going to New York because my dad who was a businessman said you gotta pay taxes,

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you gotta pay for your insurance, you gotta make some money.

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So I pursued more of the film and TV,

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side of life uh in order to support myself.

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So I got my first Texaco commercial,

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got my S A card, my screen Actors Guild Card um early on and I was lucky,

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but I worked hard and um as we all do and um that's where it kind of took off.

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I read too that before he got Halloween for you,

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you had auditioned something like 45 times or 60 times and,

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and not gotten the part. And then Halloween four came to you.

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Is that, do you remember that? That's something I had read.

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That's something I had read in the trades or something that you get like one out of every 40 by golly,

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if Halloween wasn't number 40 you know what I mean?

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It was like that kind of thing where I was like, it's true.

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But what really, what really change the trajectory of my life,

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I mean, honest to God and I'm sure you've read this story somewhere.

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I don't know. But when I was living in New York,

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I had an agent, I got an agent, the old fashioned wife sent out my headshot.

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Um Willy assigned me like their theatrical division and my roommate introduced me to Bill Murray and Bill Murray took me under his wing.

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God knows why. I don't know. We just had this really cool friendship.

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He introduced me to Jonathan Demme when he was casting,

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Married to the Mob and it was just extraordinary and I wasn't starstruck.

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That's I think why he liked hanging out with me.

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I was just a kid, you know, a girl.

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I just was like, ok, you're, you're cool.

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I'll hang with you. And he introduced me to Shakespeare and company,

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um who's an amazing theater company up in Lenox Mass.

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So I was doing Shakespeare like some of the best Shakespeare in the country doing their non-professional company uh under studying their equity productions at night and then for Halloween floor.

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So again, this weird dichotomy and and through uh a very genuine connection with,

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with Bill Murray, which is, I didn't actually know that.

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So that is a new found fact.

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And I, and the only reason I say that about him is because he led me to the water.

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Right. I was like, how am I ever gonna afford?

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Because you study with them and it's expensive and,

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you know, I was a struggling artist. I was like, how in the heck am I ever gonna afford that?

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And, you know, he passed me 600 bucks and said this is how and never looks back and you were,

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you were completely based in New York, correct?

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You were not based in L A when you were doing this? Yeah.

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Ok. Yeah. So, uh but before I got Halloween for my agent in New York,

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they were bi coastal on the old fashioned days.

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Some of them still are. But my agent in New York sent me to L A for what's called or what was known as pilot season where you just,

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you go out and you meet the casting directors on the west coast,

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but it was like, so cool because I was in L A but I wasn't just climbing off the bus.

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Like, uh, you know, it's like I had a sense of,

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um, I don't know, a sense of belonging and a sense that my agents were looking out for me and things started really popping and that's when I got Halloween for.

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Well, I'm sure glad that you did because it changed for me as a very,

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very young teenage girl. I, and as you heard in the,

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by the way, for anyone who has not seen or,

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or listened to our thriller Matt Halloween episode,

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please go do that as a result of this episode. But you can skip,

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you can skip five, you can skip it up to the five.

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And that's not why you could skip it, but it's just a different animal.

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I was like, what? Ok, we could go down.

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We'll have another episode. Maybe I'll bring you back for October and we'll just talk about me and bring me back in October.

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But I just want to say that I just read.

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So we were all super tight at the cal because we were,

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you know, again worked, our pan is off for 40 days at the shoot.

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And, um, Dwight Little,

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the director just wrote a book and I read the chapter about me and I was not their first choice,

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which is so cool. It's like I still got it,

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you know, like he fought for me and won and I just think that's so cool.

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I was so, um, I don't know,

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I just like hearing things like that and it was a shoe in,

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you know, and it was like, oh, no girlfriend, you weren't even.

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And I can't, I now like we think about that back now,

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we could not think of someone else playing that role.

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And we often talk on this podcast a lot about,

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it's important to surround yourself with people who are like your advocates and people who see something in you and believe in you and whatever that is.

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And especially in, in the business of, of trying to actually become a working and,

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and, you know, making a living as an actor that's even more important.

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And I love it when it could be a director,

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it could be a producer, it could be somebody that advocates for that actor.

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Um And that can change their life. I can give them a sense of like you said,

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belonging or direction of this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

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And that's kind of a, a great segue because were you doing any of the,

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so as, as you went into acting and then you did that for quite some time and then you actually moved into the production business side of things as well.

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Um Were you doing any of the art?

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Were you doing any painting? You were during that time as well?

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So it wasn't just, I, I kind of painted my whole life like I would do things for my mom on her birthday and things like that.

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I didn't get serious with my art until um in my first marriage,

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I had a very, um I have a very,

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very shy, intelligent father-in-law who I really,

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really admire and he was uh he's a pinker and it's a language we both spoke together.

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So he got me my like first set of traveling watercolor set and it's just something I started pursuing.

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And when my kids were,

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at that point, we had moved to Nantucket pretty much full time because we had a business um up there.

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And it was really when my kids became teenagers and I needed something to do at night where I could stay awake till they got home but occupy myself with something constructive.

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And I just, I was like, why don't I just start painting again?

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And so this is what I tell so many people that are like,

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how do I pursue it? Sorry if you can hear the song in the background.

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But, um, here was the game.

19:28

Yeah, here was the game changer. I was like,

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where in my house can I set up my paints where I don't have to keep putting them away because every time you put your material,

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I don't care what it is. It could be your drum, it could be whatever it is.

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As soon as you put it away, you're telling the universe that you're really not that serious about it.

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And so, and this is, I didn't create this.

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This is something that just came to me,

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right? So I looked around my house, we had dogs,

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kids the whole spiel and I was like, the only place I can find is on our front porch.

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So there was this little corner desk. And that,

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that's why my company is called Front Porch Studio because that was the only place that hadn't been taken up by something or someone.

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So I would sit there for hours and hours and hours that summer in 2009 just making these tiny watercolors cranking some killer tunes,

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which I also recommend, like, get,

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get out your past music, like, because it starts unlocking,

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you know, like you're, you really start,

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things, start to cook. I can't explain it.

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Um I loved water calling because I couldn't be in a hurry.

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I couldn't be tired. I personally don't drink wine while I paint a lot of people do.

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It's not my spiel like, that's my time to like zone out because it's like meditation.

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And basically, I had a stack of these tiny water colors and I decided to start selling them at this little farmer's market and,

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and this was all still on Nantucket, right? So this porch was still on Nantucket,

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right? So this porch was actually the front porch of your house in Nantucket of our little house.

21:06

And anyone who doesn't know Nantucket because we do have,

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um, some folks that are international listeners.

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Nantucket is a small island that is 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts,

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which is the east coast of the United States and it is a beautiful little island.

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I think it oftentimes gets overlooked because we often hear about Martha's Vineyard,

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which is the bigger island and it's actually such a much cooler island to me.

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I had, like I said, I, I got to go there for a couple of years and it's just a wonderful inspiring.

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Um I would say it's full of artist energy uh by not only its landscape but also the people.

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So if you ever get a chance to go, please do.

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And if you ever want any tips,

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email me, I'll let you know, I'm talking to our,

21:52

of course, our audience, Ellie had an establishment there for a very long time in bed and breakfast.

21:57

It's the ships in. Are you still part of that or not so much?

21:59

No, no, no, I'm not. But um I grew up going there.

22:03

So it's, it's, and my kids were born there like it's,

22:06

it's my, my, you know,

22:08

it's like your spirit of place, right? Your home,

22:11

your spirit of place. I call it.

22:13

Um We talk about,

22:15

I've talked about it in the past. There's, there's a connection sometimes to a particular place.

22:20

Um or, and for me, it's in Truckee,

22:22

California and I call it spirit of place.

22:25

So there's, there's a history to it, but there's also a connection to it that you have personally by way of something that connects from that energy of that place.

22:35

And so Nantucket is obviously very much that for you,

22:38

it, it's a very close second for me.

22:41

I um I had the opportunity to be an exchange student in Sweden when I was in high school and I was on the west coast of Sweden.

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And when I visited Nantucket,

22:51

I had a lot of flashbacks to some of the similar landscapes on the west coast of Sweden because I was set back a little bit with inlets and whatnot.

23:01

And you could go from what I called like beachy,

23:03

so coast right there on the sand to more inland where you almost felt like you were looking at like an old ceremony.

23:13

Yeah, or something like that. And there's such a,

23:16

there's such a difference in the landscape on Nantucket.

23:20

And I, I had never gone any place that had reminded me so much of Sweden.

23:24

I mean, even when you take like great point and this lovely long approach to this beautiful single white house out or lighthouse that's out there through these tall,

23:35

you know, sea grass kind of things.

23:37

And then you would go back into town and you'd have this quaint little,

23:41

I always thought of it as sort of like nodding Hill.

23:44

Right. There's just sort of this coziness to it.

23:47

And so it, depending on if you've ever had that in our audience of,

23:52

if you've connected to a place that really brings something out of you or brings a memory to,

23:56

that's how I often call it spirit of place. So I would say that's very true for you and,

24:00

and the idea that you've got um inspiration constantly by way of where you're living and where you're raising your kids and you,

24:08

you, you put that energy together to create this,

24:11

this lovely set of, of art and what you've now grown and shared more broadly.

24:18

Um And I, I loved it because when I did find you again on,

24:22

you know, because of Instagram, I'm thinking,

24:24

wow. So she's painting now, these are really cool.

24:27

And you, you did an initial for me a few years ago with the sea and all of the things that I'm interested in and send you the little piece on the driftwood.

24:36

Oh Yeah, I got that too. So I love that.

24:39

And I was like, oh my God, I was kind of like there and I know probably where she went and got this.

24:45

And so there's this, um there's a special bond.

24:49

I think that when you do find that those places and maybe not everybody has had that chance to have that connection with the place.

24:55

But if you do find it nurture it and keep it because it feeds your soul and it very much like you say,

25:02

you crank your music, you get into a zone and it,

25:05

it just unlocks a lot of creativeness that helps us through,

25:10

I think really challenging times or difficult times it can be therapeutic,

25:15

it can be all these things. And so would you say you did?

25:18

So this was in 2009 and you were doing that?

25:24

Was that when you thought you could potentially start selling it or was that?

25:30

It was like a, it's so scary to,

25:34

yeah, like, I, you know, you have to be vetted for this,

25:37

um, farmers market. You have to apply and they have to see your work.

25:41

And I was like, and they were like, you know, Ellie, we,

25:43

we don't have any tables open right now. I was like,

25:46

ok. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no problem. Yeah. Forget it, just forget it.

25:49

And they called me and they're like, Ellie, we have an opening and I'm like,

25:52

I remember my big brother Jamie took me to set up and I mean,

25:57

I could not stop smiling. It was like,

26:00

II, I don't know, I can't explain it.

26:03

It's like doves were flying out of the top of my head.

26:05

And only because I was saying, Hair World,

26:08

this is a little four inch by four inch painting,

26:11

but I want you to see it and you don't even have to buy it.

26:14

You know, I've never really, I've never really been concerned about whether or not my art sells but not making it is not an option.

26:23

And the best part of um,

26:26

so that led to a little shop which led to a bigger shop,

26:31

um that was still tiny and the beauty of the shop was connecting to people because you don't have to have a house on Nantucket to understand what the place means.

26:44

And I, I think so often.

26:47

Nantucket is overshadowed by the Uber wealthy and that is so not what that island is about.

26:54

When I was growing up there. We would go for a couple of weeks every summer because my step dad had a house there.

27:00

Very modest ensconced.

27:03

Like we had one tiny TV,

27:06

we'd only watch the Olympics, like it was a different world.

27:08

And, you know,

27:11

I, even back then I could remember it,

27:13

like captains of industry were in beat up old khakis and beat up old Volvos.

27:20

And that's where they came to kind of relax and let that part of themselves go.

27:24

We were never, we never attracted celebrities.

27:28

Um, you know, it's a different, it's a different animal and I've watched it change and I complained about it the way my mom complained about it and my daughters are seeing it now and that's ok.

27:39

Like, I still know, you know,

27:42

the beauty of having a business there,

27:44

not just the inn and the restaurant,

27:47

but also my business was you really get to know everyone.

27:51

And I remember, um,

27:53

it's just such a Rando story, but the other day,

27:56

the, one of our pharmacists on Main Street,

27:58

retired after years and years on Main Street.

28:01

And I'll never forget 11 winter I came back like late March,

28:05

early April and which was really off season.

28:08

And I walked in and she said, welcome home. And I've never forgotten that I'm like,

28:14

I didn't even know she knew who I was. It was just,

28:17

I don't know, it's those little lovely moments that again,

28:21

felt made me feel attached. You know, I've always had a very strong sense of community there.

28:26

Yeah, your spirit of place is very, very solid.

28:29

And I, I think too, even as we see,

28:32

and this could probably be true for a lot of places that are seeing just different,

28:37

different types of demographics move in and different types of,

28:41

you know, development and things. There's still though the foundation of which the place exists and those folks that still like you who are longtime Nantucket as well as other long time Nantucket that keep that exactly like that sense of community or that sense of what drew you there in the first place,

29:01

um, alive, even in,

29:04

even with all of the other things that are changing around it,

29:08

there's still that core that keeps it,

29:10

um, what, what you love or what, what you're drawn to with it.

29:14

And, but it's funny as, as human beings how,

29:17

and I've really noticed that, I guess post COVID.

29:19

But it's funny how we,

29:23

we, if we find a beautiful place,

29:26

it's like a really special place. It's like we wanna just gobble it up.

29:31

You mean like Tahoe getting overrun?

29:34

Like it's just, it's just nuts how we just want it all,

29:37

you know, it's like, wow, that's all you can eat. But then it's like,

29:40

just come to Nantucket.

29:42

Chill out. Use your indoor voice.

29:44

Don't drive too fast. Like, just become a part of the,

29:48

you know, the embrace, what's there.

29:51

Yeah. Embrace what's there versus try to change it a little bit.

29:56

You don't have to be so fancy. Yeah, that's great advice.

29:59

And I think that would be great advice for any place.

30:02

Right. Just kind of come as you are and be part of what is there versus and you,

30:07

and you get to be, there's no, we're not looking,

30:10

you know, there's no, there's no social pressure unless you,

30:15

unless you want it. It's not my,

30:18

it's not my culture. You know,

30:22

you kind of make your own culture, I think at times,

30:25

right? Because we pick and we choose the people that we surround ourselves with or the environments that we surround ourselves with.

30:31

And so you can, you can pick and choose what works for you and what,

30:34

what will be something that you identify with.

30:38

And it's ideal if,

30:41

if whatever that is, it welcomes both.

30:43

It doesn't exclude one or prefer one to the other.

30:47

It really, it really doesn't. And even like even the day tourists,

30:51

you know, I was still a very sweet island just to come visit even if it's for the day.

30:57

Like I'm always looking, I'm always stopping and asking people what are you looking for?

31:02

Let me help you find it because it's impossible.

31:05

You get there and you're like now, what the heck do I do? I know it's not an easy place to navigate but there's some real gems there on a busy day.

31:12

I can always find a quiet beach. Always.

31:15

I, I can relate to that flying in for my very first time too.

31:20

So I had to, I stayed at,

31:22

um, Brown Point Courtyard, which was the timeshares.

31:25

I don't even know if you can do that anymore. Yeah,

31:27

they still have, I just saw one was on the market.

31:31

I do it as um you know, you could do it right around the corner.

31:35

That's perfect. Great. Well, then you and I were meant to possibly cross paths on this island eventually.

31:40

But I, I remember going and just being like,

31:45

this is the coolest place ever, I just want to explore everything but also just not having the sense of where things were and didn't realize,

31:53

you know, I'm gonna ride my bike out to Cisco just really how far that actually is sort of,

32:00

you know, I was in, you know, good mountain biking shape at the time,

32:03

but I thought, no, this is kind of far but, but also the discovery of that and either running into um where I rented my bike,

32:11

which was young's bicycle shop. Not sure if it's still there.

32:14

I was hoping it still is super kind and,

32:19

you know, just the idea of that sense of community that people can um genuinely offer when they are coming from a place of kindness,

32:30

right? And leading through um connection.

32:34

And it would be a privilege for any tourist to run into you on the street and say to have you help them find whatever it is that they are looking for because that builds that impression of come as you are part of this community and we welcome you to visit and experience it.

32:54

And I think that that is such a gift.

32:56

So um young, young,

32:58

just like three generations in, at this point.

33:02

I also rented the um so the first year I didn't,

33:06

I couldn't figure out how to get out to great point.

33:08

I didn't understand you had to rent chief and drive the sand.

33:12

It's way out there and I had the um I had the good fortune actually of this is a sidebar for a second.

33:20

But I um I got to sit in the copilot seat of the Cape Air plane flying off the island didn't know you could do that,

33:28

but I guess they let you do that when they have a full plane and for anybody that's listening,

33:33

it's um these are very small planes. So there's only probably about 10 or maybe 8,

33:36

10 people on them. So they open up that copilot seat to make to allow if the flight is fault.

33:44

Now as somebody who's not a great flyer,

33:46

this was a massive moment for me, but it gave me,

33:49

we flew out and made this beautiful turn.

33:52

I'm like, hey, there's that lighthouse.

33:54

I'm trying to get to. So the next year I went to back to Young's and Noah,

34:00

who was helping me. There he goes. Oh, yeah, you got to rent a Jeep to go out there.

34:03

I'm like, oh, great. Well, how do I do that? Well, you can rent it from here.

34:06

I'm like, perfect, great and like that.

34:09

Oh, yeah. And I shot um guys have some of my best photos out there.

34:15

I just love the I'm inspired by lighthouses anyway.

34:18

So to me getting out there,

34:22

yeah, I OK. Side another sidebar,

34:26

I actually have my novel that I'm working on is set in Nantucket and there is a massive scene for me that revolves around great point.

34:35

So when I saw it in person,

34:38

I was like, yeah, this is, this is magical and for anybody it's a,

34:42

it's one if you think of a lighthouse,

34:44

this is what a lighthouse looks like. It's tall,

34:47

it's big, it's majestic, it's white and it sits on the tip of this island and it's just a beautiful,

34:55

I just feel like it has beautiful energy around it.

34:57

But also the approach to get out there is very um unique because you are driving across the soft sand and it's kind of a long approach and you make your way through the,

35:09

the, the beautiful tall um like sea grass kind of um mounds of,

35:18

of, of undeveloped land and then you arrive there.

35:23

It's almost like a gift when you finally get out there.

35:26

And so being able to come back the next year and,

35:28

and kind of ch um cross that one off my list was a real privilege and I really enjoyed it because I,

35:34

I missed it the first year I got to grant uh Brant Point.

35:37

I got to sanctity, but I didn't get to great point.

35:39

And I, it, it was as inspiring to me as I thought it would be.

35:43

And it's one of those things where like you can share that story with someone again,

35:47

kind of identifying um a place that really brings something out of you brings a creative spirit out of you,

35:54

whether for me it's as a writer or for you as somebody who is not only a performer but also a painter,

36:02

it's really, there is no better place to kind of have that,

36:07

but you got it. I mean, you, you just described it absolutely perfectly.

36:11

That's exactly what it is. I had the opportunity at the time.

36:15

There was the, was it the name Margaret?

36:19

She was like the lighthouse keeper is kind of where she was at the gate and she kind of could tell you like,

36:26

hey, are you visiting? I'm like, yeah, I'm visiting and OK,

36:29

well, you're gonna go out about that. You get to go inside um inside the lighthouse.

36:34

I did only on the base. I did not go all the way up to the top,

36:38

so I only could go. Oh,

36:41

so I, obviously this was,

36:43

I was supposed to come back. I haven't gone back actually in quite a few years.

36:46

And now that we're talking about it, it's very clear that I do need to go back.

36:49

But, um, I, I just spent kind of like the afternoon out there and it was really just a,

36:57

a recharge for me. And I, I wonder is,

37:00

do you find the, the art that you're doing now?

37:03

And, and the inspiration from which,

37:05

you know, front porch, um,

37:08

began? Is it, is it something that continues to be an outlet for you?

37:14

It continues to be something that you are like,

37:17

I'm just gonna, I'm having a day, I'm gonna paint something or,

37:20

you know what, I'm just feeling like I really need to put my energy somewhere and I'm gonna pull out my paints.

37:26

Is that still part of either a daily routine?

37:29

A weekly routine, kind of a self care routine.

37:31

Any kind of, have you ever put it in that context for yourself?

37:35

Yes. So, um, ok,

37:37

so I spent years and years and years there,

37:41

you know, with our kids, um, my ex and I running this business and there would be summers that would go by where I would go to the beach only a handful of times because it was right there.

37:50

It was like I took the whole thing, kind of for granted.

37:53

And I was busy doing other stuff. And when I,

37:56

um with single,

37:59

I decided to do it differently. So I decided to go swimming every single morning,

38:07

every single morning, regardless of the weather.

38:10

Um from about May to October.

38:13

And that was really part of my self care regimen.

38:17

And so much painting came out of the,

38:22

not just the swims but the beach walks.

38:25

Um And I used to see this.

38:28

He's still still there every morning. This guy comes to the beach with his jeep.

38:32

He works for one of the clubs down there and we got to be friends.

38:36

You kind of get to know the, the fellow walkers and the other beach goers,

38:39

especially, you know, earlier in the morning and we had a conversation once and he said,

38:45

you know, the beach speaks to me and I was like me too.

38:47

And it's like that's what it does. I get so many messages from the ocean and I know that sounds cheesy,

38:55

but it's true and it comes from having the courage to get in that water even when I don't want to,

39:03

I think if you are raised around the sea,

39:07

uh or you have access to it.

39:09

Um It, it, it's such a healing property and it's such a beautiful element that is revered in a lot of uh indigenous cultures or native cultures about.

39:22

It's a, it's a living breathing thing and there is a um,

39:27

I often found as a surfer that my best and most,

39:31

I was probably at most at peace when I was able to do that part of my visits to Nantucket were actually to say that I surfed there and I did but it wasn't the greatest,

39:40

uh, breaks when I went and I didn't have great swell.

39:43

But I, it was at the time when I was really,

39:46

uh, very much part and in the ocean all the time.

39:49

And I, you know, my current life right now,

39:52

I don't have that. I can paddle like Washington and I can do things related to the water,

39:58

but there's nothing quite like the ocean.

40:01

So it doesn't sound cheesy and it sounds absolutely a wonderful,

40:06

uh, source of inspiration that continues that,

40:10

that fed you, then it feeds you now.

40:13

And if you're, if you're lucky enough to be part of an ocean,

40:18

be, be close to the ocean and take advantage of that,

40:20

it, it's a, it's a true gift.

40:23

And so I, I love that. It, it speaks to you because it does,

40:26

it feel speak to many of us. Uh,

40:28

if we make the decision to listen too,

40:31

we have to be able to be open to listen to what it tells us.

40:34

You were bitten by the performance bug as a very,

40:38

very, very young kindergartner. I know you're gonna ask me this.

40:42

I know. Right. Well, as a young adult and now you're,

40:45

you're into the, I would say the a new chapter you've been in this chapter for a while.

40:52

That isn't necessarily of the performing side,

40:54

but it is part of your artistic side and your painter side,

40:58

what would you say is part of that journey has been the most rewarding.

41:00

What is it brought into you that you,

41:03

you really, if you look back on your life now you go,

41:06

I wouldn't really do it any different because it's brought me fill in the blank XYZ,

41:12

which uh which one acting or acting or if we think of it kind of as a collective artist journey,

41:18

right? So you, you, I think, OK, so I was thinking about this like,

41:21

all right, I've, I've had two artist journeys,

41:23

I would say somehow and I don't,

41:26

I don't know how to explain this, but this, this is what popped into my head earlier today is that I feel like the acting journey is my emotional journey.

41:34

The painting of my spiritual one. I, I don't know how to explain it but what the,

41:39

what the acting gave me was boatloads of courage.

41:43

Uh Love hard work. I still do. I'm a,

41:46

I'm a worker bee and it's like how hard can watercolor painting be.

41:49

I'm telling you, it's, it can be a lot, especially when you have clients that want very specific things.

41:54

And it's also extremely personal for people like I'm painting people's stories and I take it really seriously it's super fun.

42:03

You know, it's colorful and it's a joy to just be doing any piece of it.

42:08

But I also know that I'm telling someone's story and that's important.

42:13

I take, I take a lot of, uh, you know,

42:15

it's a very honorable thing to be doing and it's like a daily vitamin.

42:19

I just find if a couple of days go by and I'm not painting and I get out of whack,

42:24

it's like, oh, yeah, go back,

42:27

go back, go back to your pants. You know,

42:29

it's just, it's just what keeps me calibrated the same way exercise does or,

42:34

you know, you know, hanging with my friends or talking to my family.

42:37

It's like all these things that feed my soul,

42:39

it's a huge part of it.

42:41

And oftentimes it's the easiest thing for us to,

42:44

to put aside because, you know,

42:47

it does feel privileged. I'm like, I cannot believe I get to make my life doing art.

42:52

Like that's just such an insane, cool thing.

42:55

But it's also a lot of work to get there and to stay here.

42:58

And I just, it's a really, it's a really cool life.

43:01

I'm so lucky. I, I actually love what you just said.

43:05

I really do love that because right now I'm,

43:07

I'm going through quite a challenging moment and I,

43:10

I do find that outlets where we can send some of that energy that is maybe not the best energy and recycle it and have it come back to us with good energy is as a result of these creative spaces that we make for ourselves and that we can look into and that can remind us of what's really important.

43:30

And it is truly a gift to be able to have that be kind of how you make your life.

43:37

Because um it's, it's not easy.

43:39

It's not, everybody doesn't just become an overnight sensation.

43:43

You worked very hard on the acting journey.

43:46

You've also taken steps on the painter's journey that some baby steps now they're bigger steps.

43:52

It's, it's all part of having this sort of fire from within that makes you pursue this thing that you love and also of which fulfills you.

44:03

And that is um that is all we can I think,

44:05

hope to maybe have in our lives is do we have something that,

44:08

that is driving that much passion for us and our life journey can um incorporate that in some way.

44:16

So the challenge, what was the biggest challenge?

44:19

It could be either for both, for acting as well as for the painting,

44:23

you kind of touched on it a little bit is the idea of you take it very seriously of telling people stories through the painting.

44:30

Um Would you say that that the biggest challenge with my acting when I was acting a lot?

44:35

I mean, I was reading for huge stuff back in the day and that was all a part of this cool journey and looking back,

44:44

I'm like, what a blessing that those roles didn't come through because I wouldn't have been the hands on mom that I was born to be.

44:52

I mean, I really got to be with my kids living in L A still auditioning.

44:57

I also got to be a full time mom and when I got,

45:00

when I would get film roles, it would take me out of town.

45:03

It was excruciating because I would miss the science fair.

45:07

I would miss these little moments and you don't get them back.

45:09

So my challenge um growing up as a working mom was being away from my family,

45:16

plain and simple. I haven't retired from acting.

45:21

Someone wants to send me a script this summer.

45:24

I still do theater um because I still do some theater,

45:27

I, I feel like I saw recently or not recently within the last few years.

45:31

You did some uh theater workshop on Nantucket,

45:34

right? You did some performances there as well. You've done stuff for them.

45:38

So it's still in my bones.

45:40

The challenging thing for me as an artist is there.

45:43

There's so much, I don't know with um you know,

45:48

the technical tool, adobe illustrator,

45:51

procreate those programs, you know that it's just a,

45:55

it's a whole different animal. But I,

45:57

so for years, I was also creating kind of textile designs behind the scenes and I had a,

46:03

it was so cool. I shot a movie just quick story.

46:05

I shot a film um in Duxbury,

46:08

Mass and the woman whose house we shot and she was a phenomenal artist named Sue.

46:13

We got to be great friends from shooting in her house and she became my Adobe illustrator extraordinaire.

46:23

So I would create the textile, she would put it in the pattern and I would create fabrics.

46:27

And this last year she called me and she said,

46:30

Ellie, you need to learn Adobe illustrator.

46:32

I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no, I'm the painter.

46:35

You're the Adobe illustrator. And she said I'm sick and I'm not gonna be here to do your Adobe.

46:41

And I was like, I'm sorry, what?

46:43

No, I'm not doing this without you. And she passed away in December.

46:48

So long story short,

46:50

it's kind of forcing my hand to,

46:53

to go back to not go back to school but to educate and there's amazing stuff online.

46:58

But I'm endlessly curious about how to get,

47:01

not just how to get better, but how to keep moving forward,

47:05

how to challenge yourself and challenge yourself and grow through the channel.

47:09

And I have like 18 patterns and I'm like there maybe no one wants them and that's ok.

47:16

But to not show the world I think is a mistake.

47:19

So that's what I'm working on. I'm revamping my website,

47:23

I'm gonna get back into social media and not because I have to.

47:27

But because there's a lot I want to say and I wanna talk to people who want to do art and don't know where to begin.

47:33

I can't teach people to paint but I can tell them why it's important that they do it.

47:38

And you don't have to be, I don't buy that.

47:40

You don't have that. People don't have creative phones in their body.

47:43

I just don't buy it. I think it's, you know,

47:45

everywhere you look there's,

47:48

there's creativity in everything and in your garden and your,

47:52

uh, no matter where you look, there's creativity and it's tapping into being able to pull that out of people that might not think that they have it.

48:00

Right. It's, it's an honor and honoring it and spending time to do it.

48:04

People get so wigged out about like, oh,

48:06

I gotta take classes. It's like, no,

48:09

just pick it up, pick up a pen, put it to the paper,

48:11

see what happens because that's how it started for you.

48:14

Right. Really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

48:17

Honest to God. I mean, honest to God, I don't know where it came from and it's so cool.

48:22

It's so cool as it grows and as you see it,

48:25

it's sort of, it's, it's incarnation now.

48:28

I was, something takes over.

48:30

I can't explain it. It's like 1.02 0.03 0.0 maybe you're moving to 4.0 now or something like that where it's like,

48:36

and, and when you come into my house it's not like my house is all the past out colors I paint with but my,

48:42

my shadow loves past out and it's whimsical goofy art and it's like,

48:48

I, I don't know, I'll just keep going,

48:50

keep going. I really, it's so much fun to make and you can hear the,

48:56

you can hear the, like, pure joy and excitement in your voice and there's nothing better than having something like that in our lives.

49:04

Whatever that could be, could be painting,

49:06

it could be music, it could be writing,

49:08

it could be, you know, you're a,

49:10

a massive outdoors person and,

49:12

and you get out there and there's room for everybody,

49:16

by the way, like I just strongly encourage people to,

49:21

don't go down the rabbit hole of looking at all the talent out there.

49:27

There's such remarkable talent, but there's a spot for you too.

49:30

There's a spot for us. I there really is.

49:34

It's not to scare us into a hole. It's to encourage us to come out.

49:37

You have such, you have such great little wisdoms of,

49:42

I mean, that's what this podcast is about, right? Experiences,

49:44

wisdoms, inspirations, lessons. So it's,

49:46

it's all part of that in your journey as somebody who has known of you but not known some of the other parts of this journey.

49:55

It's really, I can see how, how it has made you kind of who you are,

50:00

how both sides of you actor as well as painter are making the L A that we see today and the continuing medium through which you can share that out for people to enjoy and to learn from or to be inspired from.

50:18

And that, that's, that's a gift of having your gift to want to share that with others to potentially tap into their gifts so that they might share it with others.

50:28

It's all part of that lovely cycle.

50:31

Um Like passing the torch, like passing the torch.

50:34

Yeah, exactly. Um Is there anything that surprised you on either journey acting or painting?

50:41

I think the thing that surprised me is I met my teacher Harry kind of late later in my career.

50:49

I didn't know him when I was reading for big stuff and he really taught me to love acting in a way that I,

50:56

I didn't understand before. So every Wednesday when my kids were growing up on Wednesdays,

51:02

I'd go down into the belly of Hollywood and sit in a theater all day and study with them.

51:06

And, um, he too passed away recently,

51:09

but it's just so cool when you can just find really,

51:14

really good people on, on this journey.

51:17

Like I never got cynical, you know,

51:20

I'd go to a lot of auditions and I'd look around and I would just see a lot of,

51:23

you know, people that were cynical and were angry about all of it.

51:27

It's like you're in the wrong business. My friend,

51:30

you, you had a very, um, you had a very well balanced grounded perspective.

51:35

Uh It's, it sounds like it's because of the people I surrounded myself with.

51:39

And I'm still, you know, my best friend,

51:42

one of my very best friends, all my best friends are from eons ago,

51:46

but one of them was, you know, from my acting class and it's like we still get to continue the journey together and it's,

51:55

it's all part of connections. You know, it really isn't about getting the jobs because once you get,

52:00

I'm sure the, your readers, your listeners know this,

52:04

but you bust your ass to get the job and you,

52:08

you know, you travel, you go to your trailer,

52:11

your inherent makeup and then you wait and you wait and you wait and two hours later they call you to set,

52:17

which is, you know, this is it and I'm, I'm doing it and you get to set,

52:22

it's like 20 minutes later,

52:24

they gotta reset the lights and reset the camera and you wait and you wait.

52:28

It's like what? It's a massive, it's funny.

52:32

It's such a funny thing as such a funny way to um I mean,

52:38

theater, obviously it's completely different. But if you don't,

52:41

I don't know, I'm a big, I'm a big advocate of,

52:43

of knife, like be nice to the people that drive you to the set.

52:47

Be nice to the people that, you know,

52:50

find shoes for you to wear. Like there's no one that's not influencing your experience on that set people that make your food,

52:58

you know. Yeah. Lead with kindness and in life too.

53:05

Right. So, no matter the industry too,

53:08

because it's funny sometimes you make lifelong connections in a workplace,

53:13

whatever that workplace is and they carry with you but sometimes you don't,

53:16

and it's ok, it's confined by whatever that is.

53:19

But those folks that are meant to be in your life for long periods of time,

53:24

you're going to know who they are and they are going to be part of your Jodie Whittaker likes to call it the Lifers Club and it is some they will,

53:32

you could go your posse,

53:35

right? You go, you could go a whole year without talking to them,

53:38

but then you uh pick it right back up as if it was yesterday,

53:41

right? Those people changes.

53:43

It's awesome. Exactly. And it,

53:46

it can be true that I think if we make the effort to be and lead with nice or kindness or goodness,

53:55

uh that opens up a whole wide array of being able to bond and connect with people as you know,

54:02

the old saying is right. You get more with honey than you do with vinegar.

54:06

So if you're gonna be kind of a jerk and people don't really like you,

54:10

it's probably not gonna make a whole lot of life or friends or your,

54:13

your posse is gonna maybe be kind of small. But if you approach it from treating,

54:17

treating people as you would want to be treated and treating people in the,

54:22

from a place of goodness, not from some other place.

54:25

It, it lends us to, I think, building really beautiful long lasting connections and,

54:31

and lifelong friendships that start from,

54:35

you know, you ran into somebody in some place that you work with and 25 years later you're,

54:40

they're your go to person in your,

54:42

in your group. And I love that and I love that as cynical as sometimes uh folks that do enter into trying to become an actor or into the entertainment industry.

54:54

You, you never lost your,

54:56

your enthusiasm for it, your curiosity for it and your excitement over it and no matter how much you did or didn't get the job,

55:04

it was still just part of the gift of being able to,

55:06

to be an artist. That's good story.

55:09

Like what a cool experience, you know,

55:11

talk about life stories. You have a lot so much fun.

55:16

They are, they really are. And I,

55:19

I can't believe the things that I did like the,

55:22

the, the um the pressure,

55:25

the, the intense pressure of like final callback.

55:29

It's like it's exposing but you know,

55:32

it's, but it's so much fun and you show up and you do your work and you come prepared and you walk out and you've,

55:39

you know, you've got, you've gotta leave it at the door.

55:42

So our tagline here on the podcast is navigating life one.

55:47

The story at a time now, we might have already touched on this.

55:51

But is there a one key go to thing could be a mantra ritual or practice that has helped you navigate your life story up until this point.

55:59

And if it is actually being in the paints,

56:02

that's ok. You could, we can say,

56:05

yeah, that's, that's good for me. But is there anything else that's helped you?

56:11

Uh a ritual I do every day is I read what I read.

56:14

Uh I read from a book with my husband,

56:16

the book of Awakening Mark Nepo. It's just like a little meditation book.

56:20

All right. OK. And you, have you,

56:24

have you always done that or is that something that you recently picked up?

56:27

No, for three years, three years,

56:29

we've done that. But it's really cool just as a,

56:32

as a couple to just have a reading and it's just about life.

56:35

It's not about anything in particular. Um Love it.

56:38

The painting honestly is something that you painting ever go back to.

56:42

But yeah, that, that lovely ritual of,

56:44

of now. And I would say the painting.

56:47

Yeah. Can't, can't beat that. And honestly,

56:50

for folks, if you, we will obviously link to all of Ellie's um website and stuff.

56:55

And if you have a chance to see some of her art or actually get some of her art,

57:00

they're, they're such, I have the good fortune of having.

57:05

I think I have about five of your pieces. I've also got one of the pillows.

57:09

That's so nice. Yeah, I have your, I had your candle with,

57:13

um, the, the scenes on the box.

57:17

Yeah. And then I have the sea.

57:19

You've got the driftwood. I also have the pillow that had,

57:24

um, is it the fairy on it?

57:27

I should be close to it. I should be able to see the eagle.

57:30

And I have the, um, I had one of the yoga mats that you did.

57:33

I loved it because it was super long because like sometimes yoga mats are really,

57:38

really small, but it's very unique.

57:41

It's a very, you can tell there is at least to my untrained painter's eye,

57:47

right? There's such heart and soul in the illustration.

57:51

And you can tell it's coming from someone who truly the part of this Nantucket Island is in her as the artist's soul and it comes through in the art.

58:03

And I it's really beautiful and I remember,

58:08

you know, fangirl me going,

58:11

I'm going to have a piece of Ellie's art and then I'm like,

58:13

no, I'm on another piece and another piece and another piece.

58:17

And so I've just become like beyond sort of how I came to know you.

58:21

I actually have well loved watching your,

58:24

your journey with the studio. I sadly never got back to the island to see the shop in person.

58:30

And I know my God, the shop was so flipping cute,

58:32

right? Because it was down on Broad.

58:34

Was it down on? And it was just the tiniest thing on the planet.

58:37

There was no bathroom and the kitchen just, just the tiniest little,

58:40

like a fisherman's shack. And it was so often for four years.

58:45

But, um, I have bigger fish to fry so I had to let it go and it's ok.

58:51

Grandchildren and things like that. Yeah. No, I get it.

58:53

And it's, uh, I, I feel like that shop though and seeing that all come together for you is will still be the vibe that people can get as they go into your website and that they can see kind of what this beautiful,

59:12

very personal. And also I love you mentioned earlier,

59:15

this idea of telling a story, whether it's specifically for clients or just,

59:19

I would say telling the story of your Nantucket and how it has been part of your life for so long.

59:26

So here, here's the tiny ridiculous example.

59:29

But I only paint my skies with one color,

59:34

only one single color in my palette.

59:37

Yep. And I, so I have to find the water colors that,

59:39

that have that palette. They're not expensive watercolors,

59:41

but it's very, it's a very specific color.

59:43

And since I started that color is I have named it October Sky.

59:48

So every time I paint a sky, I think of Nantucket's Sky in October.

59:54

You know what I mean? It's like, it's never, it's never random like,

59:57

oh, I'll just pick this blue. It's like, no,

1:00:00

it, there's some sort of connection in my own mind to it.

1:00:03

Does that make sense? No, it, and it speaks to you,

1:00:06

right. It's, it's the thing. It's kind of like how musicians hear notes and keys and putting melodies together is the same thing.

1:00:14

Right? Obviously, we're,

1:00:16

I'm gonna need to go back. This is clearly coming out of this entire,

1:00:20

but I think it should be noted that because I have clients in,

1:00:23

you know, all the way out to you and in the Midwest all over the place.

1:00:27

And I really believe that people can find the beauty in their own world.

1:00:33

I really firmly believe that in their corner of the world.

1:00:36

Well, I could keep talking to you forever but uh and we will have you back on,

1:00:40

but we will move to what I like to wrap up with our conversation for the episode,

1:00:47

which is the the questionnaire.

1:00:49

So I don't have to explain it to you because you know what it is because you are an actor.

1:00:54

So you knew what inside the actors studio was and whatnot.

1:00:56

So it's my modified version of this.

1:00:58

So what is your favorite?

1:01:02

Lucky number? And if no number, what is your favorite lucky item,

1:01:06

object or charm? Uh Lucky number is number four because I'm one of four siblings and my siblings are my heart and soul.

1:01:15

Love it. What is your favorite word or expression?

1:01:20

I have 21 is life in session and the other is I'm not walking in their moccasin so it keeps me from judging.

1:01:29

Love it. Ok. Uh,

1:01:32

this is obviously probably gonna be a very obvious answer.

1:01:35

What and where is your happy place?

1:01:38

Nantucket with my family? Yeah.

1:01:41

What is, or is my grandchildren anywhere?

1:01:45

Ok. Keep going. No, no, that's good.

1:01:47

I mean, Nan Tuckett has been part of,

1:01:49

it's like a character in this, in this episode.

1:01:51

So I love, I didn't think that wouldn't be your favorite place,

1:01:54

but just in case there was a backup one, we could say that.

1:01:58

Um, what is the best life experience you've had to date my Children?

1:02:03

Uh I put getting married on New Year's,

1:02:06

uh right up there. What would you say is the hardest life test you've had to face to date.

1:02:13

Uh losing my dad. He was young.

1:02:15

He was 64. But, you know, it's weird because it's,

1:02:18

it was also some of the best life experience because um as my husband so eloquently says you can be in sorrow and laughter in the same moment.

1:02:28

So it's like we had this very sad thing happen with my dad,

1:02:32

but it made the four of us inseparable.

1:02:35

Our souls are inseparable. Oh,

1:02:37

that's beautiful till our dying day and,

1:02:39

and we were always close but that this just cemented us.

1:02:43

So, you know, it's a, it was a uh a loss and a and a gift all at once.

1:02:48

What or who is your greatest inspiration?

1:02:51

My probably my best friend, Pam, who's a director,

1:02:54

she just does things so beautifully.

1:02:56

What is the best piece of life advice or wisdom you have received?

1:03:02

Put your oxygen mask on first.

1:03:04

What is the best piece of life advice or wisdom you have given or shared?

1:03:11

You're worth the work. And if there was one place in the world,

1:03:15

you could travel to tomorrow, where would it be and why I've always wanted to go to,

1:03:21

to Africa. Um,

1:03:25

because one of my favorite movies is Out of Africa or I would say Positano on the coast of Italy because it was my father's favorite place and I haven't been there yet.

1:03:32

Love it. I've traveled a lot but I'm not done.

1:03:35

Oh, no, I, I think it will travel is a lifelong thing.

1:03:37

I have never been to Italy. So it's on my list of places to go.

1:03:41

And I, I, when my, when we were little,

1:03:45

my dad because they were divorced, my single dad first five weeks,

1:03:50

took the four of us in a camper all across the country.

1:03:55

Uh, that is in the top three events of my life and I wanna re my hub and I are gonna re redo that route like red Drive it.

1:04:04

Oh my gosh, Ellie. Like honestly,

1:04:07

I could have you as like a guest every week.

1:04:09

You could be my co-host. It would be,

1:04:11

it's been a true,

1:04:14

true honor to talk to you and just a privilege to kind of see you on nant of this summer.

1:04:19

I will thank you so much for your time and we will have you back in October.

1:04:24

It's been great chatting with you. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Life Notes from chair 17.

1:04:34

Remember to follow and subscribe. So you never miss an episode.

1:04:38

We'll see you next time.