F: Ooh, 38 years. 38 years.

F: Well, my, my family was born here, my children and my grandchildren, so, I cannot leave because they're here. I don't like the weather, but they're here.

F: No. I moved here.

F: She did.

F: Yeah.

F: Oh, she has a lot of family here. She has, that's why.

T: I came in 1974 to New York City. In 1976, I came to Rhode Island. And since that time, I haven't gone away. So I, I went back to my country. I met my husband over there, we got married. So, and, we came. In 1985.

T: Guatemala.

F: I could imagine myself in another place. The Caribbeans, you know. I don't know, in a garden.

What was the question?

T: Oh, when I made, when I, when I see this sky, I just say to myself, ‘what a wonderful world.’ Hahahah.

F: Plus, relaxing.

T: Plus, I say that, you know, how wonderful, you know, is God to make something beautiful that we spend time to, you know, to watchvto keep, to put our minds away from everything from here, y’know, that’s it.

A: All the time. Passion. Passionate about it.

A: I wonder all the time. What makes - when a cloud is moving, you know, it's far away from me. And I might say, well, it got to be moving at a very, very high speed. You know, to be as far as where it's moving at this speed. And then you, you say you wanna know what it's like to ride a cloud, you know?

A: Well, that looking at the clouds give you a more perspective on that there are something more in life than earth. What's up there and you know what you don't see and what's beyond the clouds and you know, so it’s a wide open space of mind that it takes you too. And being in the art world that I had been in before, that itself gives you so much inspiration cause it's constantly changing.

A: It remind me of the sea. The sea. The sea is probably the closest thing we can get to as far as the cloud of sky. Remind me of that. Remind me of something blue? That which is something calm and nice. Yeah, Calmness. Really remind me of calmness.

A: Yes. Lot of shapes. A lot of stories. And it takes you to the time when you was, maybe even, let's say, grandmother, your grandmother, when she was there, so to speak. Those were good times. You can look at the cloud, they'll remind you of stuff like that. The good times. The great times. Cause family, we don't even know, whatever, you know?

A: A lot of times we name people from what we see, like if someone could be born and it’s a cloudy day, they may call you, they might give you a name like dark cloud or a robin be flying by under the cloud, they may call you Robin. They might make your name up, you know, something like that. So the cloud generates a lot of energy within the- It can make you happy when you're sad. It can- The energy comes from, in my opinion, death. The cloud has a lot to do with it.. How you feel your, your inner feeling and thoughts and creativity, you know. Creativity and inspiration. Exactly. Exactly.

D: Yeah. Sometimes I watch the clouds. Sometimes, like I‘m just sitting near the water and like, you know, just sitting there and watching the water too.

D: Yeah. Actually like sometimes, you know, like when we used to be a kid, so we watching the cloud and like your imagination give like a shape. Like you can see shapes there and sometimes you wondering how it's like changing like that? Like sometimes it's nothing. Sometimes it's like you see them as a line or you see them like as like one unit together or you see it a different way? And it's especially like when it's a cloudy day, like before that thunder and things, it's really different. So it's awesome actually.

D: Actually that one, it's by itself.

D: Actually like, it's like a shape, something. It's mad or like, it's like a little bit, a little bit like close to spider maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe. And I don't know, like, so it's like, because it has dark inside, like it's not white. Yeah. So I think this cloud is mad.

D: Like peace, you know. Like, you feel like, when you're staring on it, like, you wanna be there sometimes. And sometimes you feel like, like all your problems go away when you look at it, you know? You feel free.

D: Actually it's remind me about me actually to not give up or something, you know, like to move on. But as I told, like I feel I'm home already.

D: Yeah. And, actually when I, when I travel, like when you be inside the cloud, like that one is different feelings.

D: Yeah, the airplane. It's totally different. You feel that you are like a sitting on it or something. Like I wanna mention that for you. So, yeah. But all the time it's like, it gives you sign or something sometimes for me.

D: Actually, maybe this point it will be funny. Like, I visit Florida on this September and I saw the- because I was going to Disney, you know so like at the shape in the cloud come like Mickey Mouse.

D: Yeah. So I keep that picture with me, like, and really it looks like it. So maybe because sometimes you thought it's connecting with things. So, like this kind of story. I said, Oh my God. Maybe it's like connection, you know? I don't know.

F: I guess it's kind of meditative, like meditative when you're just kinda laying there and making like the conscious choice to just do nothing. You just kind of become more aware of everything, like how you feel physically. And emotionally. And your mind kind of starts to drift to things you've been meaning to spend time thinking about, but being busy and having a lot of other things on your mind kind of mutes it and like, pushes it out of your head. But when you sort of just lay down and sit there, those things start leaking back in. So it's, it's really like, it's cathartic I'll say because, you know, it makes you think more about things that are healthy to think about, you know, kind of cement your sense of meaning and like self understanding.

F: That one right there looks like a knight chess piece.

T: A bit, Yeah.

F: You can kind of see the base. It's like almost like an S shape. So it has like a couple 45 degree angles in it and it wraps back around like the base of a base of the knight.

T: Um, not nearly as creative, unfortunately, just a nice texture. Yeah.

T: I don't know. Cuz I never know anything different, so for me it's just gonna always been that way. I didn't know that blue and purple were different colors until high school, so I guess it's never affected me.

T: Right. I'm much more focused on shapes and textures.

T: I guess it just, I kinda just turn my brain off and go a little bit back to like just places at home that I'm comfortable with, like being down the land or on the farm. That's very places that are, I mean, dead quiet, but just nice.

F: It kind of feels like zooming out on Google Earth in a weird way. I like, like it's this weird sensation. You look up and you kind of look around and you see how wide it stretches out and it makes you feel a little small in a way that makes you more aware of like the world beyond where you can see. So like, it's just like this kind of feeling of like, you know, it makes things here feel less immediate and like, you know, everything beyond here feel more immediate, you know.

T: A little bit. A little bit.

F: I mean, yeah. I, I guess so. Cuz like instead of like wandering over, like your eyes kind of wandering across the clouds, you know, you kind of start looking for patterns in them to think about. Like, you know, you start looking for the gaps too. So, in a sense you're not just thinking about it like, you know, wandering over or like, you know, just wondering about, you're kind of like rifling through the different layers in your head of the cloud. So, yeah, I guess, I guess that that's a pretty accurate like metaphor.

T: I guess it keeps your conscious brain busy by thinking and looking like they said for the patterns and then just lets your unconscious brain just kind of mill about and do almost like a before dream kind of thing where you're just letting that you find yourself think about things you wouldn't consciously do.

A: Hell yeah.

J: I definitely do, but I wouldn't say I do it on purpose. Like, I'm not, like, I'm not like setting out to do that.

A: My mom, I'll go and visit her and she'll be like, I got the chairs out in the lawn. You ready? And like, we'll just go and like start just picking out all the different shapes that we can see.Talking about random things.

A: Life. Usually like, we'll be like working through problems, like complaining about shit. Or like, Just talking about like what our plans for the rest of the week are gonna be. What we want to do and how we want do them. Yeah, my mom and I are really close, so like we talk about everything. Like, we're best friends, so we just kind of like, sometimes it'll be nonsense too, like, we'll be laughing and making fun of like the cats. She's a hospice worker. She's like a nurse, so she takes care of a lot of people who are like, really close to dying or like are just in really like unfortunate situations and she'll like, tell me about like what they're doing, like how their day went and stuff like that. I love to hear about things like that too. Cause she really cares about like what she does.

A: I think it's like a way to enjoy nature.

J: It's a good like, pause.

A: Yeah. And like, meditate, meditation, nature meditation.

J: Like certain size skyscapes I feel like can just make you feel like super small. You'll be like, you're like freaking out about something. You'll be like, that doesn't really matter.
A: Or like nighttime clouds, when it's right before it's about to get fully dark and it's still like dusk and you could see all the shadows kind of still up there. That's a good time to go out. Go out and meditate on the clouds.

J: I zone out a lot and like, just stare at stuff. I like patterns and like, I don't know, sometimes liken the wind will just like make really cool, like shapes and patterns and stuff. Like you can see. How they're like going that way. They're like just like far away when it's like, sometimes the sky will be like a flat plane and there'll just be like one pattern and it'll like get tinier as it's going away just kind of like looking up at it. Like, it's just like, like, Whoa. It's like a feeling I don't get a lot as like an adult. It's like exciting like a little kid like and yeah, just going back to like the making you feel small thing in like a good way. It's like your problems ain't shit.

A: You're just under this sky like everyone else. Yeah. I feel like I cloud watch because like, I did it a lot as a kid, like my mom kind of like trained me t o enjoy the little things like what the clouds are doing up there. Yeah. And like I'll even do it like when I'm driving a lot as sort of like a road trip game. See like what kinds of shapes you can point out on.

J: I used to know like the names of like that.. I only know like couple. So yeah. Cumula Nimbus are the best ones. Stratus. Cumula Nimbus all the way.

J: Ocean.

A: There's kind of like a whale looking thing, like fish kind of swimming.

J: Getting ocean vibes. I don't know. Just like it's giving ocean vibes. Up there kind of. I don't know. It's just more of a texture. It looks like snow, I guess. A: The spot over there that kind of is like opening up. It has like a tornado looking thing. Coming down. At first, before it started moving around, it looked like one of those trees, if that was like the trunk of the tree and then the whole sky was like the top of it.

A: I think it's like grounding because you're looking at something that's like right there. So I don't know if you've ever heard of those like tactics for when you are like having a panic attack or like some sort of like mental episode. Five things you can see, four things you can smell, you know, all those like counting down the senses. So it's kind of like a grounding technique of like, this is just like what's right in front of you. And it's not like anyone's gonna get, it's not, there's no right or wrong answers for what it looks like. It's just kinda like what's going on. So it's like a creative outlet but grounding at the same time? Yeah.

J: I'm trying to think of things, but I think, I think nothing. I don't know. Yeah, it's just cause I'm looking at the clouds now, I'm just like, there they are.

A: I think the same way, like my brain doesn't like immediately fill with things. It kind of empties.

A: Yeah.

J: Yeah. I mean, I don't know.

J: I'm just like, shit. Yeah. It's kind of like, it has nothing to do with anything. Yeah. It's just like, that's crazy. It's like when you have dreams that like aren't related to you at all and like, you think it's real and then you wake up and you're like, Holy shit, that's not, not my life.

A: It's nice to think about how like temporary situations can be with clouds too, because you can't like get attached to the way a cloud looks. It's gonna change two seconds from now. Probably.

A: She dove, She dove down.

S: Yes. I love doing that. It's very chill and it's like watching the environment around me.

S: Like, I think I just really like to look at the sky. This is like a big thing I like to do sometimes is like, take a second to lie down like on the grass and just like appreciate the world around me, especially the sky. Cus the sky is like hard to see the depth of it. And I like to just imagine the true depth of the sky. I also used to wish that I could fly through clouds when I was a kid. Like I'd stare at the sky and just like cross my fingers all the time that I could fly. You know what I mean? That was like my ultimate number one superpower that I could choose is to fly.

S: To fly? Oh my goodness. That would probably be the coolest feeling ever. I used to picture it every single day. In elementary school I would always cloud watch and that was why I was bad at sports cus they'd be like, Oh my God, we're playing like whatever, kickball and I'd be looking at the sky. And I just really wanted to float and be able to like control how I float and then go higher and higher and be able to like, go through the clouds. I don't know. That'd just be so interesting.

S: Oh my goodness. I'd love to do that. This is a nice day for that. Cause it's so hazy. I like those ones over there, like by the tower. They just look like a group of whales swimming together in the sky. They're just hanging. A pod.

S: I don't know. Probably freedom. They're just like going around and enjoying the atmosphere, having wind flow in their face all together with their family, just like going with the flow.

A: Oh my goodness, yes. If I could fly right now, I'd be up there with those clouds for sure. For a second. And then I'd have to come back down and do homework obviously. But at the time, it would rock.

S: I guess like in general what I usually see, I always kind of like picture them as either specific objects or, this is weird, when I was younger, I also imagined clouds as like heaven, kind of. Like I'm not super religious, but I'd be like, ah, like when there's like a big group of clouds, I'd be like, I bet there's people. That's probably where heaven is. Like if heaven is a thing, that's probably where people are like within those clouds. And I'd be like, woah, that's crazy. And then I'd like, imagine my grandmother, like looking down and stuff. It was pretty epic. That was when I was really young. I used to also think Sportacus from Lazy Town was God when I was literally in fourth grade. So that was crazy. So I don't know.

S: I like the idea of like, I guess like gargantuan, peaceful, big, not alive, but like semi-sentient. Like, I don't know, like I just feel like clouds might low key just have personalities to them. Every single cloud is different. And that's what's really interesting about watching them is I kind of have this mix of like when I was a kid I was like, It's like heaven and now I'm older, I'm like, well, obviously it's scientifically they're just clouds, but there's just something really special about clouds to me, especially cus like, I don't know, I already mentioned that they're fun to look at and it is like, brings me joy. I don't like a cloudless sky. Being from LA we have a lot of cloudless skies, like just like blue skies with no clouds and it's annoying. So when I do see clouds, I'm like, Oh, look at this. So nice.

S: It makes you feel really peaceful. Really like content.

S: I think so, yeah. When I was a kid I had like a really big imagination. I feel like a lot of kids did and it's very like hard to bring that back with me now cause I'm just so focused on like a lot of real world stuff. I'm trying to like get through like school and then everything. Just like everything about being an adult and sometimes I'm like, ugh, I wish I could just be a little kid hanging in the park looking at clouds and just chilingl.

E: I love looking at clouds, honestly. I really do.

E: You know, I think it's really relaxing. I love looking at clouds. I love the way that, like, it reminds you of how big the world is outside of you and where you are at that moment. So I really enjoy it personally. I think it's like it brings a good sense of calm.

E: I think I just kind of think of everything that's like beyond us and where we are. And like how much is out there that we can't physically see. That's like still to be experienced, kind of.

E: Yeah, so my dad is a pilot and he would always take me flying and I loved when we would fly through the clouds, so it really reminds me of him a lot. He's always like looking at clouds too. And he like has this saying that's like once you've experienced the sky, like you'll always be looking up at it. And so I think like every time I'm looking at clouds, I'm kind of thinking of him.

E: Yeah, I think it just kind of gives me a sense of peace, honestly.

E: Definitely. Yeah.

E: I think that's honestly kind of- What I feel like I'm doing when I am looking up at the clouds is I'm just like letting my mind take its own course and seeing where it ends up.

E: Yeah, I think definitely I probably look at them differently than other people might. I think I got a lot of that from my dad and like from growing up, like flying with him and things like that. I think if I had not had that same experience, I might not be as like, apt to just stop and look up at the clouds.

E: Yeah. Chicago sometimes. Or like, my family is Norwegian. So a lot of times I think about like going back to Norway cause I haven't been in - actually I was there in May, so it's been like six months. But yeah a lot of times when I'm looking up, I'm thinking about like other places, what might be going on there, what it would be like to be there.

E: Definitely. I think that's one of the things that's really special. And it's similar to like how people feel about looking up at stars, right? It's just a reminder of how much else is out there. And makes your problems feel like more insignificant. Just thinking about like the vastness.

J: No. No, No. I never, No.

J: Well, I'm a truck driver, so sometimes instead of looking at your dashboard, you can look up in the sky and tell what kind of weather you're getting yourself into. Thunderstorm, rains, snow. Especially, you know - time to time I guess I do look at clouds.

J: What do you guys think about clouds?

M: I think clouds could be like a cool thing to look at cuz they have different shapes. Different shapes.

M: Um, I think it reminds me of, um, like different people, like of the clouds, because the clouds are up in the sky. So like people that passed away

M: Yes, it does give me peace because it's not really- Clouds don't really make any noise and you just stare at them and it makes you calm.

M: Nine. Nine.

J: It was nice to learn something different today because I've never thought that the clouds can be part of your life, you know? It can give you a good vibe or it can give you a bad vibe. Never thought of that.

J: Right. I mean I guess it means more like when my daughter said, you know, the people that passed away, you know, they can, we can look up and we can visualize them being there. Visualize, right? Yeah. Visualize them being there.

J: Yeah, we have a lot of deaths in the family. So yeah. Mo most likely. Definitely. And you know, the clouds remind you of the good days, good old days.

O: Of course, yes . I do it a lot at home just because there's no buildings like this where I live, so it's just sheer like flatness and then the mountain range. But yeah, I, I love cloud watching. I just, I don't know. I guess it, it grounds me as well in a way. Yeah. Kind of makes me like, have introspection.

O: Well, whenever I feel like overwhelmed. Or like I get too, like I delve too deep within myself that I forget the world around me. And that it's always moving and that nothing is, is permanent. and everything's just constantly changing. And so, you know, I was doing that a couple minutes ago, just kind of like watching the trees moving and stuff. It's like I am overwhelmed right now. I'm not feeling good mentally and it's just like taking a step outside of myself and realizing that the world is a very big place and change comes.

O: I see a family of seals laying on like the middle one?

O: I mostly, I mean, this kind of like relates to my major. I see it like the depth, the shape and the color. It's like three dimensional in a way. I'm a very 3D like minded person. In that like, I have to see to like, understand it. But I have taken some crazy photos of like monsoon clouds and it just looks like Zeus is sitting up here, like watching over everyone. It's like they're so like architectural and like amazing how it just like occurs naturally. And it's just like amazing to think about. Like there's so many possibilities in which they can be formed and like what is their purpose and like, you know, I don’t know.

I think I just kind of go into observational mode. I just like describe what I see to myself. I'm just kind of admiring and going, Oh wow, I'll look over there. I love how that blue kind of like blends into that pink or like, I like how this shape goes along with that shape. It looks like this or it looks like that. Or, I go into like the mystical of like, Oh, that looks like, I don't know, like a mystical creature calling out of somewhere. It's just like I go into like the, the mind of like an imaginative child that's like, Oh, what can I see in this? And like, how can I get inspiration from this?

O: On a deep, deeply personal level, I like made myself grow up really fast just due to circumstances. I like lost that part of myself that was able to like think like a child. Like right now I'm like, Oh my God, this grass looks like it's dancing right now. Like that's a new thing for me. Like I got able to like reconnect with like that child-like thinking while still maintaining like, oh, like I'm still an adult. But I feel like it's important to balance like making both parts of yourself happy. I want the inner child in me to still be able to express themselves. Even though, you know, I'm older, I just feel like that's really vital in order to like, feel complete with yourself. But I mean, I just, I don't think I would be able to like, be able to go on with life if I wasn't able to be imaginative or if I wasn't able to be creative in some aspect of my life, I would probably shrivel up and like become like a stone statue or something. Like I, it's like one of my favorite reasons why I enjoy living. It's that every day I get to see something that's just either completely new, or I get to say, Oh, I get to be able to see it again. And like experience it again. It's just like- And I'm a big, I'm a big nature person. Yeah. So you picked a good person.

S: Uh, that's probably situational, individualized. Each person.

S: Well, everybody's unique, you know, we're all different in how we think, you know, sensory is different. Everything. So it's just perception, like anything in life. You could perceive something as stupid and boring. Someone else could perceive as exciting and exhilirating. Someone could not perceive it at all. But it's beautiful cause it's part of, you know, the cosmos and space planet.

S: No, no. Especially with the sun blaring out. I used to do that when I was younger, for sure. But they'd have to be bigger. Big clouds.

S: Oh God, I don't remember, but I know that I used to see things. Yeah. I can't remember for sure. Probably animals or something like that. Depends on the age.

S: Uh, I don't think it's just clouds, but since we're on the topic, I think kind of in regards to the book I'm reading too, just generally, how you perceive anything in life. So age is involved because as you grow older, you're, you know, exposed to more things. So you start to think differently as you mature. So as a kid you might see animals or whatever. And as you get older you might start to see who knows, you know, vehicles, cars, things like that. So I guess it's just kind of, subject to where you're at in life most. Unless, I mean, you could be on drugs, you could be staring at some crazy shit. You never know. That's what I'm saying. It's all based on the person's perception. Of what they're seeing, you know, what their reality is.

S: Makes sense. Yeah. Doesn't resonate to me personally. Yeah. I don't watch cloud so much, but it definitely makes sense. I think a lot of people look at clouds , I imagine, or see things, right? So that makes perfect sense, the analogy.

B: No. No, no, no, no. I just like the, I just enjoy the views, you know? The colors, the shapes, you know, But it doesn't, you know, like I get my myself into it, you know? I enjoy it.

B: As a child, you know, clouds make, make you think you wanna move, move away. You know, I, I remember, you know, sitting down and watching and say, I want move to somewhere else. You know, because I'm not from here. I wasn't born here. I'm, I'm, I'm an immigrant, you know? So as a child, yes. But now doesn't, doesn't make me think that, you know?

Because I moved where I wanted. Yeah. Yeah. I ended up moving.

J: So only recently. Yeah. So we started coming out here, right after he(her son Oakland) was born, like just for something to do for him to like, you know, us to get out of the house and stuff like that and so recently, kind of every once in a while.

J: This is a really basic and simple idea that's like, it's kind of a trip that they, like you can see them moving, right? Like you actually see motion. I think so much of the time, like you just like look up and you just think clouds there exist sitting still, but like the motion of them.

J: I think that having kids actually changed your, changes your perspective about things. And so I would be like laying with him on the ground. And I would see that he's looking up, looking at something and so I'm like, huh, what is he looking at?. And so like, that drew my attention upward to be like, you know, just laying outside doing something like that. Sort of changed the way that I like saw, right? Like the most literal of a sense. So it's kind of, seeing things from his perspective and it can be sort of meditative.

A leaping animal.

J: Huh, so it has hooves like, it's like this perched with its like arms up and like his- the head comes around this way and it's like in the back leg seems to like jumping like so like jumping in.

J: I think it's relaxing. Yeah. I think that it's relaxing, it's calming. It's usually when I'm, you know, not doing what I have to do for a living or like, it's like when I'm like outside of all sites of obligation, right. So I think it's relaxing.

J: Maybe it's their simplicity. The simplicity, and it's like the connection with nature. I think that's what it is.

J: Yeah, I can, I can see that. I think, I guess they could be freeing, right? It's like to that point that like, you're not thinking about what you have to do. Right? They're sort of freeing space, I think. Yeah.

A: Oh, I think it's beautiful. I love it. I love the idea of it. And sometimes after I take a picture, maybe we're taking a drive, something like that, I'll, I'll look at it, and often it's a picture of the sky. And I'll, the clouds will actually strike me as one of the most important parts of that picture, and I'll kind of try to figure out, oh, what can I see in there? You know?

A: Yeah. I get a lot of pictures of the sky actually. I have a wall of places back home in Canada. Just pictures I've taken on my iPhone, but they're pretty good quality I think. And they all actually have the sky in them. They all- which I didn't really intend to do until I put them up on my wall and then they ended up being not just sky pictures, but they all have the sky. And I thought that was really interesting.

A: Looks like an eye.

A: Reminds me of being out in the prairies and just seeing the open landscape of canola oil fields. And just nothing. Nothing for miles, no mountains, nothing.

A: I think it brings you higher to like the divine and the heavenly things. When you're looking up, you don't really know what you're looking up at. But there's something up there, you know.

A: Yeah, it's so peaceful. t just reminds you to take a deep breath and like really center yourself and remember why you're here, you know?

A: Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I can see more sky here than I can back at home. Where at home we had a lot more mountains and so here it's so flat. I can see so far it's like the horizons are stretched, you know? Which is kind of a analogy for moving here. You know, my horizons are broadening. and they are literally actually with the sky's bigger too. I remember as a kid just laying in the grass and looking up at the sky. I just used to do that a lot when I was a kid. And so those are just really, I do, yeah. Yeah. I'm really, I'm a just nostalgic person by personality, so yeah, like you said, just like when I look up at the moon, it's the same moon I looked up at when I was back home.

K: I cant remember the last time I sat and did that actually, but I will say that I have done that before.

K: I normally use it as a creativity exercise, what can I see, what can i turn it into. It’s never really for fun. I’ll use it as a sketch

K: Yeah.

K: I can either see an upside down stool or a paw of some sort like a seagulls foot. Something webbed.

K: I’d say it’s mainly some sort of object. I’m really bad at like seeing some personality, a face, some kind of emotions. You know it’s kinda vague, its hard for me to put two and two together, a real stretch for me. But I can see objects very clearly.