I remember this experience as the ‘aha’ moment, realizing that often the process of creation is even more fulfilling than the result. Additionally, I found an interest in using natural materials in my works.

When I was 15, I participated in an art residency in Germany, somewhere near Brandenburg. It was a collaboration between two art schools, one from Lithuania and the other from Germany. The project's concept was to live in the forest for a period and create art using materials found in nature. For example, we made paintings in the rain puddles using pigments derived from rocks or plants. Additionally, we crafted clay sculptures on trees and stumps, as well as carpets out of plants, which we hung over branches, etc. We then photographed the artworks and left them in nature to be reclaimed, a process hastened by rainy weeks. The culmination of the project was an exhibition of photographs in an old, charming church somewhere in Germany (forgive my lack of precision; back then, we didn't have smartphones or other convenient ways to document our travels).
I recall how joyful the entire process was. Since then, I've been inclined to create using natural requisites such as moss, sticks, and stones… and I've come to appreciate the process of creation perhaps even more than the result.

A bonus to that experience was a few days living with German families. I stayed with a clown's family, which was a very warm welcome, and also with a family that taught me to look at the world more open-minded, open-handed, and open-hearted. Forever grateful. <3 And greetings to their turtle, Rex, who lives in the dog house in the yard during summers.
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