Glenda Goodrich
As an artist, art doula, SoulCollage® facilitator, writer, and convener of ceremony, Glenda Goodrich brings together earth-based rituals, community gatherings, and creative expression in a search for new ways to show love for the Earth. She feels most alive exploring wild places and spending time with her two children, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Glenda lives in a cottage in the Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Facebook: @glenda.goodrich.1
Instagram: @glendagoodrich
Twitter: @GGdwn2erthArt
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
Yes. I often feel like a fake, but I don’t let it stop me for long. I used to consider imposter syndrome a weakness, a sign of insecurity, something I shouldn’t be feeling. But now I almost welcome it. Why? Because it means I have such awe and reverence for what I’m being called to do by Spirit (God, Higher Power, however you choose to describe the Source of all Creation) that I can hardly believe I’m up for it. I am being asked to step up and grow beyond what I think I’m capable of doing, and that’s a powerful gift. I see imposter syndrome as a form of humility. Really? Me? You want me to paint, sculpt, write? What matters most to me is the thought that comes after the imposter thought. For example, my first thought might be I feel like a total fake. My second thought might be: Of course I feel like a fake, this is new to me and I’m being asked to step out of my comfort zone and show up for my life.
This reframing helps me weather insecurities and gets me back toward action sooner. I don’t get bogged down in the negativity of feeling like an imposter. If you’ve ever read the Rumi poem “The Guest House,” he writes about welcoming everything at the door, all the dark thoughts, shame, and sorrows, treating them like guests and inviting them because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. That’s how I feel about the imposter syndrome, a guide from beyond with a lesson to teach me.
Is there a work of art that you love. Why? Have you ever visited it in person?
When I was sixteen-years old I went to Europe with my parents. I was four months pregnant at the time and vomited my way through Germany, Austria, France and Italy. A highlight of that trip was seeing the statue David created by the Renaissance sculptor, Michelangelo. We were the only people in the rotunda where the seventeen-foot-high white marble statute stood. The posture of David felt courageous and vulnerable, fierce and tender, strong and delicate.
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
I collect rocks, feathers and bones. One of my favorite things to do on a vision quest is to go on a walkabout and look for things left behind by the winged ones, the four legged and the many legged who crawl with their bodies close to the earth. Things like orange flicker feathers, owl pellets and snake skins. When I come across something I ask for permission to take it. Sometimes I sense or feel a clear no, so I leave it where it is. But if I get a yes, I bring it home and add it to the collection in my art studio. People enjoy looking through all the natural treasures and marveling at what is there.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing?
In addition to being an author, I am a mixed media artist, sculptor, art doula and SoulCollage® facilitator. It was while on a wilderness vision quest in 2006 that I claimed the title of artist for myself. My mother had been a successful watercolor artist (she painted and sold around 3,000 paintings during her 100-year life).
My art studio, named the Down to Earth Studio, is in my home and I have been offering art and SoulCollage® classes here since 2010. I have taught and mentored hundreds of people who wanted to explore and expand their creative potential. It is one of my greatest joys to help people get more in touch with their innate creativity. I am always amazed by their courage and openness. Together we make more beauty in the world. The tag line for the Down to Earth Studio is a quote from Rumi, “Let the beauty we love be what we do.”
What piece of clothing tells the most interesting story about your life?
As funny as this may sound, it’s a western-style, paisley-print handkerchief. An old-fashioned hanky has been with me on every wilderness vision quest. Hankies have become a vital part of my journeys—I always bring three or four—because they have a myriad of uses: head scarf, dust mask, hand towel, supply tote, tablecloth, wash rag, neck coolant when wet, nose wipe, and pee rag, to name a few. I carry one in my purse, and I think there’s a hanky in every one of my jacket pockets.
