Anne Marie Bennett Interview

Interview with Anne Marie Bennett

Anne Marie Bennett

"Writer, Artist
SoulCollage® Facilitator
Cat Whisperer
Painter of Rainbows
Weaver of Dreams"

We're starting backwards with this interview. Anne Marie has agreed to help us shake up the interview by shortening it a bit and giving us an article of her own, Fall In Love With Yourself With SoulCollage®, which you'll find in our Creativity section.

What Can a Square-Peg Learn From Anne Marie?

So much! Find out first-hand what you can learn from Anne Marie by reading "Fall In Love With Yourself With SoulCollage®", the article (linked above) that Anne Marie shared with us. And then check out Anne Marie's KaleidoSoul site - between the two of them you'll find a lot about what you can learn from Anne Marie. Her work is awesome and encourages each of us on our Square-Peg paths.

Continuing with the interview:

How Do You See Yourself as a Square-Peg?

Anne Marie puts a different slant on the Square-Peg term, saying: "I prefer to think of myself as having been on the road less travelled". How's that for a creative twist right in the beginning?

...even as a child I noticed I was different - in simple ways. It was like I was an only child - I had 2 WAY older brothers.

Lots of kids had straight hair - I had curly. I am left-handed. I'm always asking questions.

Anne Marie has taken many different paths in her life -

I moved 500 miles away from home to be a teacher. Teachers were being laid off in New England, so I went to Virginia.

I taught 2nd grade...in a teeny, tiny farming town - the nearest McDonalds was 1/2 hour down the road. The town was so small that within a week of moving there everyone in the town knew my name.

Later she worked for a learning corporation -

I was a consultant, then I trained consultants who would train teachers.

Even in my family I've taken the road less travelled. The path seemed to come from inside - I instinctively knew when to do the next thing.

I met my husband, Jeff, who had 3 kids. That was the next thing on the road less travelled. Putting all that creative energy into helping raise three children.

Then she worked - an assistant manager at the box office of a theatre.Anne Marie worked at the box office for 10 years before she got involved with SoulCollage®.

Last February (2005) I was going through changes in my life - when you get into your late 40's - you start looking at what you want to do.

I went to the Art and Soul retreat - I was taking classes in mixed media - I wanted to go deeper - to inform my own playful art.

I took a class from SoulCollage® facilitator, Noelle Remington - I was intrigued - bought the SoulCollage book, it was love at first card - the first card changed my whole - everything.

Seena Frost - author of SoulCollage - gives a class for facilitator training - I took the September facilitation training.

Things happen when you trust - the path opens up. Being committed to following involves a lot of trust.

That trust has led Anne Marie to found KaleidoSoul, where she now writes and teaches about SoulCollage® - and the many ways you can use the collage process for personal growth. She offers classes (both on-line and in person), retreats, e-books, loads of information on the site and runs a Yahoo group related to SoulCollage® work.

How Do You Maintain Your Square-Pegness (in a round-hole world)?

Unlike a lot of the people interviewed, not all my friends are creative - they help to balance me out - anchor me - remind me to trust. The universe brings them to give me a sense of balance - their calm to my creativity.

There are always a few people - no matter which road you travel - that understand.

My husband has a steady calm, like a rock - where as he's drawn to my color/creativity. I think these relationships involve holding my soul in different ways.

What Has Been the Hardest For You "on the path of the road less travelled"?

Anne Marie talked about dealing with breast cancer: There's something about facing your own mortality, which I hadn't done until it happened to me. If this had happened 20 years ago I would probably be dead by now. There's an immediate sense of: am I really doing what I want with my life?

In her book, Bright Side of the Road, Anne Marie describes what it was like for her as she was dealing with her diagnosis and subsequent treatment of breast cancer.

(Read our review of Bright Side of the Road)

For our interview she talked about one of the "blessings" that came out of this hard place on the road less travelled.

Breast cancer - and (mostly) taking time off from work - was a real blessing. I was working as an assistant manager at the box office of a theatre when I was diagnosed with breast cancer - 4-5 years ago. I was burning out. I was everything to everyone - I was doing everything - and I loved it.

But I got a chance to take 6 months off. I gave myself the gift of space and time to be myself.

Another thing Anne Marie said that she finds hard on her less travelled road - is: ...having SO many interest to choose from all the time! As a creative person (and true Renaissance Soul), I find that sometimes I don't know what to do next!

What Is Your Favorite Square-Peg Trait?

SoulCollage®, of course. It helps me stay centered. There are so many (parts to our personalities), SoulCollage® helps to validate them all - giving images - they become really real.

Being committed to being who I am - more than that - committed to following my Intuition. Permission to be this creative person I am. I have an inner navigational system - I knew that even when I was younger.

What Are Your Favorite books?

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach - accepting our feelings, voices, body, people/the way things are.

Any fiction by Elizabeth Berg - contemporary women's fiction. In every one of her books, I just feel like the main character could be me. That is what I love about her work.

Anne Marie recommended two of Berg's works:

The Pull of the Moon - a woman in her late 40's - who, during midlife just takes off - takes time for her self.

A Year of Pleasures - in this story, the husband dies - the woman sells her home - gets money - drives across country...tells about enjoying pleasures right now.

I am now in love with Elizabeth Berg's work, thanks to Anne Marie. The way Berg writes about each person in her stories, brings them to life - the characters are so full and REAL. I'm not usually a big fan of fiction, but these books are sooo good!

Some of Anne Marie's Favorite Books:

Remember: when you buy from Amazon.com you don't pay a penny more, but you help support Square-Peg-People!

Interview originally appeared in the September 2006 issue of Square-Peg-People's Encourager newsletter.

(Return to Square-Peg Interviews page)