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I surveyed the hills and valleys in front of me. The land was covered in organized rows of 100 year old grape vines and olive trees, interrupted only by winding dirt roads connecting farms to the outside world. Terra Cotta-roofed houses speckled the landscape, and in the distance the hills transformed into mountains. The sun felt warm on my skin and the smell of fresh soil filled the air. As I looked up from my paint palette and over my canvas, I wondered at how this place must have looked when Leonardo was born. I had come here to Vinci, Italy to paint and to remember the importance of being an artist.

My mom and I have always gone to flea markets, and we couldn’t pass by an abandoned house without stopping in for a little time-travel. Even a good trash picking was never a source of embarrassment. Dumpster diving in ‘work clothes’? Not a problem. Giving rescued objects a new life after so many decades of idleness is irresistible – especially in our throwaway society.