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“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. ” ~ LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
Dear Readers, Community, Friends,
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, ... please shine down on us!
Who’s ready for spring? I’ve been reminiscing of past warm-weather journeys.
A 2023 trip to a little island off the coast of Maine is one for me. It was the summer before my first born was to leave for college. What better way to soak up the last moments than to drive 22 hours to Maine? The kids bickering in the back seat added sentimental nostalgia, ... little traffic jams through many towns breezed by. Perspective is everything.
Why such a long trip? A sweet man (my husband's professor and mentor from college) had been summering on this island for 50 years and wanted to share this special place with us. With his bucket hat, smiling, he greeted us at the dock as we disembarked the ferry. Everyone is a pedestrian on this island, save the few utility trucks that cart luggage and supplies. It was a mind-altering experience to step into a place that has changed so little in the 150 years that it has been inhabited.
(ABOVE: from the Monhegan Museum of Art & History collection: , “At the Dock” by Robert Van Vorst Sewell)
Since the mid-1800s, this little island has challenged artists from Rockwell Kent, Edward Hopper, George Bellows, and the Wyeth family ... to capture its dramatic landscape, with its rugged cliffs and unique light. What a beautiful, rare experience it is to walk in the places that have been the very vantage point of many famous paintings. It is a transient experience where you and your surroundings toggle between being the “subject” and the “observed.”
Compare the following images. I shot the top row of photographs as we toured the island (the left two with my pinhole camera). Then, when I was looking at the museum’s art collection, I found these paintings that match! You truly are stepping into over a hundred years of art when you visit here.
(ABOVE: from the Monhegan Museum of Art & History collection: “November” and “Lighthouse” by James Edward Fitzgerald, November; “The D.T. Sheridan” by Rockwell Kent) A link to their vast collection can be found here.
Ed was a delightful tour guide, with his long-time stewardship of the island and its art. He was instrumental in acquiring and preserving many of the fine works of art that reside in the museum’s collection. He also resurrected a long-gone structure that he discovered in an historical photograph. It was the lighthouse keepers assistant’s dwelling that had burned down and had been long forgotten. He had a replica built to match, that is now home to the art museum.
(ABOVE: Edward Deci, from the Monhegan Museum of Art & History collection; BELOW: my pinhole camera shots and a digital photograph from our trip)
It was a profound joy to spend time with Ed. He was a legend to the world (the co-founder, alongside Richard M. Ryan, of Self-Determination Theory, one of the most impactful frameworks in contemporary psychology), but in this moment, he was just a villager of this remote island, living a world away from the rest of us, yet part of a place whose people, history, and artistic contributions occupy a far larger landscape than the small geography that defines this tiny island.
Ed dedicated his life to deepening his understanding of what truly motivates us, and alongside Ryan, developed a transformative framework in modern psychology known as intrinsic motivation.
When someone walks in the world, embodying everything they value, it becomes a mirror into our own way of being. Ed’s life sparked reflective questions in myself: “What do I truly value?” “What is the best way I can serve the world?” “How can I actualize my fullest self?” It was an unforgettable trip whose gifts I will cherish forever. Thank you, Ed.
“The starting place for change is accepting oneself and taking interest in one’s inner world.” ~ Edward L. Deci (Oct 1942 - Feb 2026)
This is the 68th issue of Platinum News! Written by Julie Miles, her passion is to act as a liaison between the Platinum team, their wonderful clients, and the community – striving to tell their stories, and make meaningful connections that fuel everyone’s purpose.Have a story to tell? Contact Julie here.
FROM JOB POSTING TO FIRST DAY: A BETTER PROCESS FROM FIRST CLICK TO FIRST DAY
The office has been buzzing with activity, as it tends to do this time of year. I am grateful for all of our clients: the long-time relationships, and those that are just commencing.
I hope you are able to get outdoors as the temperatures rise. I know I am ready for some warmer days!
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