{"id":3843,"date":"2024-06-03T18:09:18","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T18:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/?p=3843"},"modified":"2024-10-21T14:45:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T14:45:10","slug":"into-the-mind-of-artist-illustrator-katie-benn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/into-the-mind-of-artist-illustrator-katie-benn","title":{"rendered":"Into the mind of artist &amp; illustrator Katie Benn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video interviewee-picture\"><video autoplay loop muted src=\"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/frame1-1.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/katie_benn_\/\">Katie Benn's art and illustrations<\/a> are somehow both poignant and lighthearted. After stumbling upon several of her drawings online, we were curious to know the mind behind them \u2014 a mind we quickly discovered is as hopeful, colorful and tender as the work she creates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">What\u2019s the best compliment you received recently?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I live on an old property out in the country <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CTvMq8xhSGv\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">where a lot of wildlife passes through<\/a>. The other day, I was out in the backyard and a deer was lying in the grass about four feet from me, made eye contact and just stared at me. Whenever I can capture the calm attention of a wild animal, it feels like a compliment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">What\u2019s the last thing you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Italian-Folk-Magic-Kitchen-Witchery\/dp\/1578636183\/ref=asc_df_1578636183\/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=693033695448&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=17129143668866493992&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9033129&amp;hvtargid=pla-467330839915&amp;psc=1&amp;mcid=15a31e5b743238f2a316fe030b721c39&amp;gad_source=1\">Italian Folk Magic\" <\/a>by Mary-Grace Fahrun. I\u2019ve been reading it in tandem with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Nuns-Behaving-Badly-Tales-Convents\/dp\/0226534723\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MZCE5D88VZRW&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rlMKhTdIPARyVaxsRQdo9w.bxKzkAfjykkjCfWVKvM2x1BEmzve5j8BzuJmvFqdEuk&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=nuns+behaving+badly&amp;qid=1716404000&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=nuns+behaving+badly%2Cstripbooks%2C169&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Nuns Behaving Badly: Tales of Music, Magic, Art and Arson in the Convents in Italy\"<\/a> by Craig A. Monson, the latter being extra fascinating pertaining to the history of 16th century Italy. I love nonfiction and I enjoy pairing books to read in tandem that have a way of informing each other.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/knkq9oyAh6UgGpdKJewxGDIDklikAtuuHYPbOTR993I-svUYgHShbvPu2DmTy7aKDmni9xDnDCxh5-2FA723ITG9cWnddHxaZLatPjzuoNjEOUSFzBUm8z0Z_Z-yxD47CkuJH-Md9v5P1X7kIEk4mBw\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">What do you want to read next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have had the same copy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Intuition-R-Buckminster-Fuller\/dp\/B0006C69OI\">Buckminster Fuller\u2019s \"Intuition\"<em> <\/em><\/a>for many years. I\u2019ve reread it a few times. Though not an easy read, I always get something new from it, and I think I\u2019m due for another pass.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/S7DKRoJXFJ04ewPO8ha0o4OSkFM4lP0wZYzxYARohziegNorpQ11bTq2Xb6ZMW8A0fg-ANRXYCwCJuP5y5pOrkEtE7r9MJ2ma8kx3dQt5paEk6fkzzzPjFOrIFFyqGWPm_vaohcTm3JzwM8Xqjr3D_8\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_ax59j2p7m\">To find this book later in your mind, search \"books\" or \"Intuition.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">A quote that\u2019s meaningful to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/9H2zszZfrGS9VMOYz2ZUv8G6ZuFGdobZjZ5XDWeXZKosXYjNiu8vvn3h60b6MnUrO5YLvfz5SPh5iN0j_zL8Bz20rsMw97EF8It5fljWfXKLjb1vfvhAO9CTDdxIV5JyK3XVVfWVH_Egwme5Hth9c68\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_ax59j2p7m\">Right click an image to save it to your mind. Long press on mobile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">Best gift you\u2019ve ever given?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think the best gifts we give others are often intangible and generally unknowable. So often the best gifts we receive, if we think about it, are chance encounters with the right thing at the right time, and I think we offer that to each other constantly without thinking \u2014 love, making someone laugh when they\u2019re starved of it, introducing a new way of looking at something, randomly sharing a kind word. For instance the deer I mentioned earlier that just calmly looked at me for an extended period of time \u2014 that was a gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/0ahBpzH6ctTlp5_3-ekaETYkgWM7iad3DpnYnigEfT-Y2UDJ3HZVGr9Idu4WTmyobMIPv9I5yXXOkdYu3_iaODI-5BWmdIurLbgwkr5CbShRHbAWoXnWrFQiI3Ghbf24VTvvJrDRJzpayouwrDwfydc\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">Where do you want to travel to next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a beautiful, almost weightless place that I took a monorail to in a dream once. I\u2019ve always wanted to return.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/GweudQ15eE2x4iawfq-ZH9yBVfSo4XkHJG-e14g07-1S1QiNkHHDPVOPjAVbWOYJrkvlEKVCHaI1Lo5_Ch4ZaoAJamGdhosZLc48XzqG9po2vLs51J0zNnMXGcO12ClTz41whkn9gKgAUvwBaPEEuWE\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C6M89NtPdBC\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">What would you buy, if money weren\u2019t an issue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>World Peace (or the closest I could feasibly get to it). It seems the people that move to block it at every turn might need to be paid off.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-custom_2ckfb3b91\">\"If there are circumstances that are painful that we cannot change, we must soak in them, feel it all, and allow ourselves to make a food of it, somehow.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">What hobby would you take up, if you had the time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019d like to be swimming at least once a day. Wish I had the time and place to do that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">What\u2019s an image or piece of art you can\u2019t get out of your head?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I love old films. I watched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0037558\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Lean\u2019s \"Brief Encounter\"<\/a> recently and it knocked me out. I keep thinking about it. I read some article criticizing how the film luxuriates the pain of love having come into one\u2019s life at the wrong time, but truly, particularly as an artist, if there are circumstances that are painful that we cannot change, we must soak in them, feel it all, and allow ourselves to make a food of it, somehow. And I love how this was depicted in the film \u2014 Celia Johnson\u2019s character, specifically.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/2yoPOuCPlaEmJ8nZEGCRhgfWf94OXcUKGFgvhGq40URjDM5BBpnJqutdqHjbykhlEGB9vntZXZCpvnzrES28kbcxsyIR6uEAnMaZl7AGds_XkDS-C8Se7uZdNjZFDv9ncfygcezSkSwuXy4Ov9CGoXE\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_ax59j2p7m\">Click the + button in your browser to save the link above as a movie, or share it to your mind on mobile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">A product of any kind you\u2019ve been appreciating lately?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Siete Sea Salt Potato Chips. A perfect product.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/YInWYKOVOGf7Fv8-VXahs5nLTLzePCLfdmPmPEDFgo2TxCBELjB15aE7iI9WA4pXpKUKCwU0IDdXi66xEpO1Th1OOuc1AoDAH5njtsNi2CkvRhvwh-5d0iBd11uUCbUfRhBqV-fLzz_5h5OLocxK-WA\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">The funniest thing you\u2019ve seen or heard lately?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t know how else to say it, but I\u2019ve gotten really into apples this year. I saw this comic by Josh Mecouch recently and it was like looking into a mirror:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/8fsBQzvdqA4DHfpmoIshDo1J4ZI0buROcTRDsNfHmx_1dgWehFTOA9evas1ZtRMp38LH2r7x8AVhBUgzojoxhs-PXToQP4IUBIVyJNyVw8tjDBJRqpjNqwuVzVUstII9w9o_m1poPNWc5mdHRNVvEdw\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_ax59j2p7m\">Search any word appearing in a meme or comic to find it later in your mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-custom_5dzmfzg0c\">If you could build an extension of your own mind, what would it look like? How would it work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An extension of my own mind, if I were tasked with building such a thing, would likely be designed after something found in nature. Something ephemeral yet returning, materialized by earthly elements similar to those that comprise a rainbow. And because man-made things like codes can be broken and brass locks can be picked, I\u2019d like the extension of my mind to require some life-affirming elements working in concert to be unlocked\u2014like rainwater, sunshine, and the pure intentions of an observer with the potential for understanding and awe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/UWeELW3UxOkD8IQeKNXFU0qjkE5cVQ17HPxw1YbAIJ1vXvc4xGBdIQA0pxNZI6YF3ckLxx5WGTUQ6xaq37usNWdttwm4YLCxpehuI67QTCdyCZwR_cBXQmNoA6EtfyeLKPPHCJO95qMcilUGQmRHYNU\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cf-ADOWv5zr\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Katie Benn&#8217;s art and illustrations are somehow both poignant and lighthearted. After stumbling upon several of her drawings online, we were curious to know the mind behind them \u2014 a mind we quickly discovered is as hopeful, colorful and tender as the work she creates. What\u2019s the best compliment you received recently? I live on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-3843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thoughts","tag-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3843"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4358,"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3843\/revisions\/4358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mymind.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}