Growing up in Moscow, in what back then was still the USSR, Julia Karlinsky loved three things the most. She loved books, roaming the local woods, and the time between going to bed and actually falling asleep. Roaming the woods, sometimes on foot, sometimes on skis, and sometimes on a bicycle was her favorite time for making up stories. The bedtime was even better; pictures in her mind shone brighter against the backdrop of the night.

Grown up Miss Karlinsky still loves exactly the same things. She roams the wet Oregon trails with her German Shepherd, reads, and dreams up stories. And even better, she can now draw  pictures on a piece of paper or on an iPad. 

She also spent  years as an art teacher, but had to abandon that occupation, because her students’ work always seemed more vital and fun than her own. Her son, an astute child,  explained the situation, saying “kids’ artwork is better than yours, because you take yourself too seriously, while we’re just playing”. Feeling her total inadequacy, Miss Karlisky stopped teaching and became a Russian language interpreter instead. Now she spends her days interpreting other people’s stories.

And playing.