I am not great friends with exercise. The only way to make this activity more appealing is to combine it with interesting conversation and the bounty of flora and fauna at White Rock Lake down the street from my house. I walk with 3 artists I have known for years. We leave the house at 7am and walk for 3 miles. Most days nature conspires to make our walks fairly non-aerobic. Clouds, fog, wildlife, light, shadow, plant life all beg us to stop and photograph whatever amazing site is happening that morning. Between gasps of "look at those clouds" and "look at the light on that tree" and "will you take a picture of that, I forgot my phone" is all interspersed with conversation about politics, art, life, etc. It is one of the biggest luxuries in my life to have the flexibility in my schedule to start my day with that experience and come home to my studio inspired. There are souvenirs from my walks all over my studio walls. I reference them for texture, color, structure and relevance to whatever I'm designing at that moment. They're also my exercise trophies.
Photos by Sue Benner and Julie Cohn