Relaxed and Falling in Love with Humanity

I am a fine artist with a growing business. My work has been shown in galleries and art fairs everywhere from my native Germany to internationally. Although I have an upcoming exhibition in China, I am always eager to expand. So recently, I went to an art fair showcasing gifts, home décor, and stationery products. My idea was to make contacts with companies that produce postcards, paper napkins, and similar items in hopes of licensing some of my illustrations.

This particular event happened in Frankfurt/Main, a six-hour drive from my home, so I booked a hotel. By the time I arrived it was already dark. I was surprised to find that my hotel room looked like a cell in a monastery – very small, everything painted dark, a bed made of iron bars. After having dinner nearby, I came back to my room but found I couldn’t relax. It took me quite a while to fall asleep.

The next morning, things got worse. When I went to retrieve my car from the parking garage, I couldn’t get in – the garage entrance doors were locked.

Eventually, I gained access to my car and drove to the fair. However, it took an extra hour to locate the visitor parking, due to construction. Already behind schedule, I suddenly realized the fair was much bigger than I had expected. It was huge, crowded, and I found it overwhelming. I had no idea where to begin. After studying a map, I started to wander around the packed event with people rushing past me. I walked through two giant halls filled with stationery products, but all the companies were either from China or Korea and had no interest in working with freelancers. By now, I was feeling stressed and frustrated, not to mention tired and completely disoriented.

Suddenly, I noticed I was tense. Just noticed it – saw it clearly, without judging it. And in an instant, everything felt different.

I flashed on the previous week: I had called into the podcast Being Here and spoke with the hosts, Ariel and Shya Kane. Through our conversation, I had begun to see how tense I had been lately – tense about my husband’s health, our finances, my career… just tense.

Back at the fair, by simply noticing the tension in my body, it let go. I went outside, took a deep breath, then walked back in, allowing myself just to be… to be tired, to feel insecure and vulnerable. But also, allowing myself to be where I was – at this busy, crowded fair.

Before I knew it, I found myself in the perfect hall, surrounded by some great companies. To my delight, I came across a company from the UK called OHH DEER and I started laughing. I had created a painting titled OH DEER, inspired by one of Ariel’s photos, and it’s one of my favorites. The company looked amazing. The whole booth was pink with light wood and they had the best postcards. They were interested in working with freelancers, and I’m now in touch with the co-founder/head of design.

The fair was still busy and hectic, yet I was enjoying myself and connecting with people. When I was done, I wandered into a restaurant on the edge of the fairground to grab a late lunch. I bought some chicken salad and mango juice, then found a free spot at a table with three people who were speaking Russian. When I asked if I could sit, one of the men made an inviting gesture and the woman moved her bag. It felt so easy. When they left, two other men arrived. I gestured for them to sit. They seemed to be speaking Hindi, and they smiled at me as they sat, saying something I interpreted as “Enjoy your meal.” I smiled back. Behind me, I heard someone speaking Portuguese. To my left, a woman passing by dropped her phone and when I picked it up, she beamed and said, “Grazie.”

There I was, sitting with my half-eaten salad and my far-too-sweet mango juice in this crowded, loud, chaotic place, relaxed in myself, falling in love with humanity.

This wouldn’t have happened without Transformation. After the dark hotel, the parking garage drama and the crowded fair, I would normally have been irritated, blaming everyone and everything for my frustration. Instead, I sat there feeling rich, blessed and amazed by the beauty of humanity – its colors, its smiles, its languages. I felt like a child who had just discovered that it could play with all the beautiful, colorful people around it.

https://www.stefanielueck-art.de/

Being Here Podcast