Oh Monte!

What can I say that was not already said?

There is this subtle pleasant feeling of anticipation when you arrive in this area, seeing the big hill with those ancient houses for the first time after a year, which lets your heart jump with joy and excitement for the days to come.

My first time Monte last year was a bit overshadowed by my Impostor trying to tell me that I don't belong in-between all those wonderful people - still they welcomed me with open arms and surely made this feeling vanish very soon. It felt like a gathering of a chosen family; no matter where you came from, at this long weekend, on this tiny hill somewhere in Tuscany, we all were just humans sharing the same belief of art and love, friendship and togetherness. No matter if you arrived in a group or alone or did not know anyone, you soon got sucked into this vivid, lively conglumerate of kindred souls that welcomed you ever so warmely.

In my first year I stressed a lot about all those things a higher sensitivity and ever lingering Impostor Syndrome loaded on me. But this also means that I could prepare for my second time in this wonderful tiny town of radiating creativity, and I just planned: arrive and enjoy. I already knew my surroundings and could focus more on the people and the connections that bring us all here once a year. I took my time to dive into deep conversations about art and live with old friends and new ones. I got to know a lot of wonderful "Monte First timers" and their aspirations, creations and world views. I had the opportunity to enjoy all the art, the well thought through executions and exchange honest and great feedback. I enjoyed the food and gelato - and of course all the time spent with people. Being an introvert, who normally is easily drained by smalltalk and big groups of people, I managed to balance out the social interaction parts with quiet time and (wherever needed) earplugs! Honestly, if you are sound sensitive, here's my Pro tip: never forget your earplugs of choice (I am carrying around different brands for different situations for example), they helped me a lot to manage soundstress better this year and enjoy the shared passion. ;-)

I am not a great Kudos taker (you know, compliments make my brain running in circles, crying "AAAahahahaaaAAAAaaAA!"), but also working on it; and this year at this show I could for the first time cherish those words of "this is yours? I love it!" (from total strangers, as well as friends), which makes my heart also jump with joy, and doesn't give me the urge to run away and hide anywere. I love Monte for what it radiates and gives us all: a feeling of belonging, a stage to show and be seen. The light in the eyes of people when they can admire those works "from the internet" in real life now. The amazing energies that explode into clapping and shouting and singing for the winners of the competition. The shared coffees and beers and food all over the tiny market place. The laughter of so many different languages, the atmosphere that even a tuscan november rain cannot break.

Mille grazie, Monte, for all you give and all you share!

So, Monte. After over a decade of painting under my belt, 2023 was to be my first time visiting that famed place, of which I had heard lots of crazy and inspiring things. However, when the day came to pack my stuff and head to the airport to go to Rome, where I would meet with my jungle brother Andy and two other wonderful travel companions, I was not really in the mood. Not only was there lots of work at home, which would pile up in my absence. Also my hobby-mind was on other things: most importantly my training routine, but I was also eager to continue working on the next miniature for my Bornhöved project and a few other miniature ideas. In fact, before the flight, I seriously considered more than once whether I'd just cancel last minute and stay home. However, I decided to go (or better: did not decide not to go), most importantly because I had made plans with my friends who I did not want to disappoint.

Now, being back after four days in Tuscany, I am glad that I went. This was less to do with the mini show itself, which was nice and all, and had, of course, loads of incredible pieces of our beloved miniature art. I even got two gym sessions in - one of which with my jungle brother Hansrainer! But honestly, it was mainly because of the many invaluable moments with said friends, both from within the Massive Voodoo Family and without. It was you who made me go despite not being super-excited about it, and it was you who made my Monte experience so wonderful. So: THANK YOU! You know who you are ;-)

Given that I already conveyed many of my feelings in the introductory part, I am not going to linger. Suffice it to say: if there is one show a year I want to go to - just one - at least for now that one show will be MSS. The town is small and at least since last year, there was considerable growth - the bigger it gets, the bigger the risk to lose at least some of the cozyness, however so far they (and the whole town) have done a marvelous job to prevent that from happening. I do have a standing reservation now in the villa we stayed in the last two times and I am optimistic it'll be filled with 14 crazy painters again...

The show had to many amazing entries to single out a few - and I know there are some, like my friend Richard, who took on the duty of preparing galleries of pictures for all the entries. You'll find them on Facebook most likely.