Robin Pickering

Where you come from: Rural Maine

Where you live now: Brooklyn, NY

What age you were at the time of the photograph: 30

How old you expect to live to be: no idea. anything’s possible.

What is something that you do that gives you real joy in life?
mostly simple things. a sink of clean dishes. being out in the wild. being held by someone i love when i’m sleepy. playing live shows. swimming. practicing yoga and feeling focussed.

What about yourself do you really like?
i think i’m pretty nice to people most of the time without a whole lot of effort.

Have you ever known anyone who died of AIDS? yes, many of my mother’s friends in the 80’s. No one more recently.

Have you ever known anyone who died at a young age? yes, a girl i went to high school with was in a car accident in her early 20’s; my ex-boyfriend died of a rare cancer when he was in his low 30’s.

What would you like to see people do to change the world?
needs to come from inside. I would like to see people becoming more aware of their own internal dialogues and moods, becoming more aware of how their thoughts and words and actions really do affect the world around them. If we want the world to be a better place, our internal  life and the character of our thoughts needs to be the catalyst and prime influence for this. If we dedicate ourselves to this inner discovery of our own peace, the way we are in the world will become a natural and positive extension of this inner awareness.

Looking back over your life, what is a favorite memory?
one of my favorite memories: during the blizzard of ’96 we jumped off our roof into a parking lot snowbank right near times square and then walked repeatedly in one direction only past some (very puzzled) guys in the dunkin donuts warming up with their coffee so that we could get back into our apartment and jump all over again.