Real People in Love: Brittan & Andy

When I decided to do this series I knew it would be fun to include Brittan from Little Owl Arts (yes, yes, my giveaway winner). Brittan and I have a lot in common and sometimes my hippie side likes to live vicariously through her (I've always wanted dreadlocks).

How old are you and Andy?

I'm 26 and Andy is 41. We've been together for 5 going on 6 years!

What are your occupations?

We are both artists, and sometimes whatever we have to be to pay bills... But mostly (luckily) and foremost we are artists. I am a mixed media artist (meaning I get bored easily and like to jump around working on different things, this month it is nuno felting and watercolors) and Andy is a musician (percussion) and puppet creator/puppeteer. He also makes these wonderful little faery houses and scenes, they are incredible, not something I can explain, someday I will do a blog about them!

How did you meet?

hmmm, well we met as friends first. He would talk and I would have no idea what he was talking about, it was very strange. I volunteered to paint signs for a little festival he was helping put together for May Day. I was at the end of a relationship and didn't want to date anyone (I was saying for at least a year, but of course that doesn't always happen that way). We became best friends right away and we worked together a lot, he helped me with some gardening jobs, we got closer...Well, we have been together ever since!

Define Love:

Oh, that is so hard. I am not sure if it can fully be described simply in word. I think love is when you really can't live without someone (I hate saying it like that, it sounds so cliche), even when you fight you miss them. It also is when you both can grow together with complete understanding and support each other, there is patience involved and understanding... Oh, there is just so much to it, more than just feeling. It is changeable and different everyday that the day is different, so I think I will stop here because it might turn into a total ramble...

What's the toughest part of being in a committed relationship?

Well, for me, communication. I am not good at expressing myself and I am extremely indecisive, it is very frustrating! Also, sometimes trust and letting go.

What is the best part?

Having someone who is always there for me and trying to make me laugh, who will do anything in their power to make me happy and who takes really good care of me when I forget to take care of myself (ha ha ha, sometimes I get a little too absorbed in whatever I am working on!)

What is the best day you and Andy have had together?

I don't think that I have one... There are a bunch that are my favorites, I especially loved when we used to work together gardening, but we still do work together on our own garden, so that goes on... I also love when Andy does things that seem like he has read my mind (well, maybe he has, he is pretty magical and amazing like that)! Like the other night when he bought me flowers, the day before I had just been thinking to myself how I was missing flowers and was thinking of buying some for the house... Or when we would go camping with the dogs... There are so many!

What makes you different from other couples?

Umm, well everything really, I think every couple is different from the other, that is what makes people and their individual relationships so interesting, important and unique. I think that when you find someone that you are meant to be with, everything becomes special and unique and different. Is that a silly answer?

What is the most essential element of making it?

Ooo, that is a tough question because everyone is different and has different needs and boundaries. I guess I would just say to be honest from the beginning and communicate what you need for you to be ok because if you are ok everything around you has a better chance of being ok.

Do you have a song?

No, but we both love music and have bands that we love to listen to and go see together. There is a lot of instrumental music that we both love, like Medeski, Martin & Wood, the Bad Plus and Murcury Program.... But we love all different sorts of music!

What is your favorite thing to do together?

Snuggle, hiking and camping (although we haven't done as much as we usually do lately), creating art, being together for the most part...

What are your hopes for the future?

That we continue to grow together and for both of us as artists to do better and better and then maybe one day we can have our own farm house with large gardens, ducks and chickens, and then we can travel for pleasure more! (we travel now, but usually for festivals we are working, etc...still fun, but also still work)

Anything else the world needs to know about love?

Keep it real, but let go... It is ok to be free and be yourself and completely enjoy someone!