We were lucky to catch up with Robin Easton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Robin, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
The greatest gift I’ve ever been given is a life without TV. When I was about five years old, I arrived home from school one day to find the family TV gone from our living room. I ran crying to Mom, who was peeling potatoes at the kitchen sink, “Mama, Mama, where’s the TV? How come it’s not in the living room? I wanna watch TV.”
Mom calmly said, “Daddy will explain when he gets home. Why don’t you go in the backyard and play? It’s nice out.”
When Dad arrived home, my sister, older brother, and I ran to Daddy, all squawking at once, “Where’s the TV, Daddy? We wanna watch TV. Why can’t we watch TV?” Surprisingly Dad was unruffled by our caterwauling and calmly said, “You’re watching too much TV. And I don’t think it’s healthy for you. So, I got rid of it.”
My sister, brother, and I kicked up a royal ruckus over no more TV. But the TV was soon forgotten while helping Dad build an ice-skating rink in the backyard, forgotten while camping and fishing on Pickerel Pond, forgotten while hiking up Streaked Mountain, Patch Mountain, and Mount Washington, forgotten while he taught us how to ski, swim, and handle a canoe. As our family grew from three children to four, to five, to six children, Dad continued to take us hiking, canoeing, camping, and fishing. He taught us how to use a bow and arrow, and how to identify rocks, plants, and trees. His passionate love affair with the woods and water became my greatest, life-long love.
My mother had a Master’s degree in biology, and her own love of nature—although not as physically active as my Dad’s—was nonetheless as passionate. I don’t think we lived a day without my mother pointing out the intimate details of Nature’s beauty. Mom often looked out the window in awe of Nature’s miracles. She gasped with delight over tiny ice crystals, a light blue piece of robin’s egg lying in the grass, a tiny feather left on the doormat, Spring’s pastel tree buds, a tiny ladybug landing on her blouse, and thousands of daily expressions of Nature’s beauty. Mom inhaled natural beauty as if she could memorize every detail and imprint the world upon her soul in the event that it might vanish. As a child, my mother’s reverence for Nature was just part of my life. I assumed all mothers were the same. They’re not. I didn’t know until many years later how completely her awareness touched my life and had become my own.
Years later I marveled that my parents didn’t just get rid of our TV, but that they actively replaced TV-time with nature-time that was spent with ‘Mom and Dad.’ Over the decades I was twice given a TV. Both times I gave it away within a month or two. I found it shockingly mediocre and boring at best, and emotionally invasive and violent at its worst.
Having the TV permanently removed from my life and replaced with an active relationship with nature, remains a monumental gift. It profoundly forged my character for the rest of my life. I went on to live in some of Earth’s most untouched and remote places. To this day my relationship with Nature is intimate, empathic, and vital to my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Throughout my life, during times of stress, despair, loss, or indecision, I have turned to Mother Nature for wisdom, nurturing, and healing. My book “Naked in Eden: My Adventure and Awakening in the Australian Rainforest,” tells the story of how the Australian rainforest saved my life and healed my soul.
Robin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Originally, I didn’t even know I was a writer, certainly not a professional writer or author. However, when I returned to society after years of living in wild, remote places, writing was a way to claim and process all I’d been through. I started to write with a number two pencil and an old yellow legal pad I found at a yard sale.
I had lived at least two decades without phones, electricity, and computers, and had very little ‘outside’ contact. Yet, I suddenly felt a compulsion to express the experiences, insights, and feelings I had while living wild. Once I started writing, I could not stop. I wrote close to 2000 handwritten pages. These pages, written fresh out of the jungle, became the text I later used for my first book, “Naked in Eden: My Adventure and Awakening in the Australian Rainforest.” This book is filled with true-life experiences. and insights from my years living in the tropical rainforest of Queensland Australia.
CURRENT WORKS:
Since writing and publishing my first book, I’ve started a sequel to “Naked in Eden,” with the working title of, “Eden on Fire.” I currently am completing two other books: “Seeing the World With Wild Eyes,” a collection of true short stories recounting my numerous encounters with other species; mountain lions, ravens, snakes, beavers, coyotes, and more. In these stories, I share the insights and lessons learned from these highly intelligent beings. The second book: “The Wild Soul Knows,” is a collection of courageously honest essays that explore human culture after years of living wild and far removed from social conditioning and edict. I hope to release both books in 2025, while I continue to work on the sequel to “Naked in Eden.”
People can go to the “Subscribe” page of my website and sign up for my monthly blog, as well as receive announcements of book releases, and other updates. I do not believe in inundating people with emails, so I usually ‘send out’ only once a month. There are many writings in my blog archives, and on every page of my site. I also share videos of my original flute and guitar music, as well as soothing photographs of my beautiful Wild Friends under the Media Gallery section of my website.
Through my blog, photography, videos, music, and books, I encourage others to find their own intimate relationship with the natural world around them, whether they live in a city or on a rural farm.
I am currently creating an online course titled “Primal Purpose.” This course was inspired by the dozens of deeply moving emails I’ve received from people asking, “How do I overcome my fear of nature?” All of these beautiful souls expressed their love of Nature’s beauty and its potential to offer solace, and yet…they fear Nature. More tragically, many stated that they felt ashamed of their fear. “Primal Purpose” not only offers practical information, but it teaches us that our fear serves a purpose and is not something to be ashamed of. Fear is not a weakness, something to be done away with. In the rainforests of Australia and the wilds of Alaska, I learned that fear serves an integral “Primal Purpose” in our lives.
In the wild, as in day-to-day life, fear is something that can be understood and channeled to protect and guide us. In our relationship with Nature, we can educate ourselves about the habits, territories, and behaviors of the species we live with. When we embrace our fear as having a “Primal Purpose,” we gradually transform our fear into valuable and much-needed awareness.
ABOUT ROBIN EASTON:
Robin Easton, president of Robin Easton Productions, LLC is an author, inspirational speaker, performing musician, nature photographer, and adventurer. Before moving to the high desert plains of New Mexico, Robin spent much of her adult life in wild, remote areas including Australia’s tropical and subtropical rainforests, Alaska, Western Tasmania, and the far north woods of Maine. Easton has traveled to New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, and has lived throughout Europe.
Robin is an animated and passionate storyteller and she is the author of “Naked in Eden,” a true story about her adventures in the Australian rainforest. Through these real-life adventure stories, Robin educates and inspires others to develop their own intimate relationship with the natural world. She feels that this ancient connection is where we can rediscover joy, peace, and healing…where we can rediscover our most authentic selves.
Easton has a passionate love affair with the wild. She has well over two thousand solo hikes under her feet and is usually found hiking barefoot. She is an avid nature photographer and animal communicator. Robin easily communicates with the wildlife she encounters and photographs. Friends have seen Robin call in crows, deer, beavers, rabbits, and other wildlife that linger to share their wisdom and love, and she does it without feeding or touching the Wild Ones. She believes they are safest left wild and untouched.
As a performing artist, Robin has been a concert pianist, and she now composes and performs songs on the Native American courting flute. Her music has placed in the top 10% of the National Billboard Song Contest out of 30,000 entrants. She has performed music and shared her adventures with The New Mexico Conference on Aging, The Field School of Washington, DC, Institute of American Indian Art, Wheelwright Museum, Southwest Seminars, Santa Fe Community College, The Bangor Civic Center, The Celebration, and more. She has appeared in magazines and newspapers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and in an award-winning NBC News affiliate piece, Paul Harvey News, CNN, KBLA Radio, The Nature Connection, Big Blend Radio & Magazine, The Green Hour: WURD 900AM, KSFR, Huffington Post, and others.
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Robin sees people as already whole. She believes we have never really lost anything and that we might not need to ‘fix’ anything. Instead, she reminds us that all we need to know already exists within us, and in the world around us. It is just a matter of remembering who we really are. Through her words, music, and actions, she inspires people to remember their vital connection to each other and to all life, all species, as well as the air, water, and Living Earth.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
When I first started blogging and joined social media sites, I was noticed by many ‘personal development’ bloggers. I admired many of these people and got to know some personally. I also related to some of what they shared. However, after a time, I felt that something about the ‘personal development’ way of thinking felt out of alignment with who I am. I repeatedly was told, “Robin, don’t be so personal,” which I found odd, considering it is called “personal’ development. I heard statements like, “Don’t reveal too much about your own life. Just write in more general terms.” Or, “Don’t put too much of yourself out there. You never know who you’re dealing with. The world is full of crazy people.” Or, “People don’t want to know about your personal struggles or journey.” Or, “You need to appear very professional and keep a professional distance.” I had no idea what that meant or why I should do that. I only knew that statements like that made me cringe inside. It was not my path.
After the first couple of years of listening to my fellow bloggers, other entrepreneurs, my literary agent, and my publisher tell me to “keep it impersonal”…I was fed up. I felt I was losing the very core of who I am. In my heart, I knew there was something more. I also knew that my writing voice did not reflect my soul. Although my blog posts were accepted by my readers, my writing felt forced, as if I was trying to be something that was not me. If being “professional” meant being impersonal, always polite, and never rocking the boat…I had no interest in writing.
I was ready for a drastic change; yet, I wasn’t sure what that might look like or how to carry it out. First, I had to redefine what it means “to be professional.” I turned to Nature for reflection and truth. One day while hiking along Little Tesuque Creek in Santa Fe, NM, I asked myself what is this “professional stuff?” Is writing, blogging, and social media even about professionalism? Could I just be myself? Just as I am?”
Suddenly, the word “honest” passed through my mind, and then more words came to me, words like “Real, Soul, Connection, Empathy, Compassion, and even Love.” Feeling this truth flood into me brought tears to my eyes, and there alone in the woods, I felt a profoundly benevolent connection to my fellow humans. I fell in love with Humanity. In the face of this love, “professionalism” felt very shallow and irrelevant.
As I sat by the creek and listened to the happy gurgle of water over rocks, a question floated through my mind, “Do you dare just be yourself, more exposed? Do you dare connect with your readers in a real way, as friends, connect sympathetically with them as fellow human beings, people with challenges, worries, mistakes, imperfections, secrets, joys, and even Love to Give….people like you?”
I must state here that up to this point, my business and my readership were not “building” on my blog or social media. Then one day, shortly after my creek visit, I was asked to be interviewed by an Australian woman who has a very large readership. Her questions were simple and could have been answered impersonally with facts and knowledge, but–for the first time in my life–I chose to answer each question from my heart and soul…without deviation. I was shaking as I sent my responses to her interview questions.
A few days later, she shared my interview on Facebook. With much trepidation, I shared the same interview on my own Facebook page. At that point, I had only a few hundred Facebook friends and a handful of blog subscribers. However, within a day or two I jumped from a few hundred to thousands of Facebook friend requests, more than I could possibly add, as well as hundreds and hundreds of blog subscribers. I was stunned and I went from shaking in my boots (from fear of being myself), to completely realizing the need for truth and honesty in the world. I felt set free, empowered, and very much in my right place. I had arrived Home.
In a matter of days, my readership completely changed…all of its own accord. I moved from the ‘personal development’ arena to a very earthy, spiritual, gutsy, courageous, honest group of stunningly wise souls, people who live with their hearts wide open. They are an eclectic group of artists, counselors, writers, musicians, dancers, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, war vets, manic depressives, ex-drug addicts, ex-hookers, doctors, lawyers, divorced, single, married, the homeless, the dying, the desperately trying to live, the lost, the found, all religions, sexes, colors, and countries. They are all Humans…just being…as best they know how. And, I love them. They have my deepest respect and love. I’ve known many of these people for two decades or more, and some are ‘brand new’ but feel known…as if all my life.
Since I tend not to like the words, “readers or followers,” as they feel too impersonal and removed from me and our real living connection. Besides, I now fully honor that there is nothing impersonal about me. These people befriended me in very real, life-changing ways. I am deeply honored to call these beautiful souls, “My Soul Friends.” Daily they encourage me to write with my most honest and brave voice. And they share wisdom that leaves me in awe….and forever changed.
From this experience, I learned to use my authentic voice. Each day I stretch both my own and the culture’s limits. I grow more courageous, more openly loving, and honest. Today, I take many risks. When I find myself asking, “Is this too honest, too raw, too exposed, too real, and “Should I even write this, share this?” I now know that is exactly the thing I MUST write and share. I also know it is exactly what someone in the world is yearning to hear.
I tear up saying this; although many people tell me the world is full of crazy, insane people, and although this might be true, I now know that the world is full of the most remarkable, loving, creative, free-thinking, and brilliant people, so much that I never cease to be stunned by the courage and beauty of Humanity.
For now, my ever-growing definition of “being professional” means acting with courage, honesty, integrity, and compassion…in as many ways as possible. I no longer think in terms of “business.” I think in terms of what I might lovingly offer a world that cries out like a child in the dark of night. How might I humbly soothe, inspire, and love?
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
As an author, inspirational speaker, and performing musician, connecting with my fellow humans in an authentic and very real way is the most rewarding aspect of my work. Living in a country where I have the opportunity to openly share my thoughts, feelings, and experiences is an honor, one I am aware of every time I sit down to write, and every time I read my Soul Friends’ beautiful responses to my posts.
I usually feel that I receive far more from my readers than I give. My relationship with these souls is a very active and deeply personal relationship. Maybe, I am living ‘personal development,’ a highly personal and intimate development…as opposed to writing about it. Together, my Soul Friends and I have been through illnesses, deaths, births, traumas, accomplishments, joys, and more. My Soul Friends are remarkable human beings who are real people with real lives…people who inspire me. My life is richer for knowing them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.robineaston.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robineaston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robin.easton.589
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@robineaston
Image Credits
(C) Robin Easton