Far Away From Switzerland
by Vanessa Sigillo
HOUS Studios
When you experience one mind-blowing moment after another, bursting with creativity and surrounded by a knowledge and passion for art that you can't put into words, then you've probably landed with Noah Minuskin.
For a little more than six months I've been living together with Yanik in big Los Angeles, far away from small Switzerland, the mountains, and chocolate. Once around half the world changes a lot. It feels like a dream come true, a journey into the unknown and a step into a whole new level at the same moment.
Could we have imagined what awaited us? Impossible. We were welcomed with open arms by Noah, Karla, and the team. From the beginning, we had the feeling of being at home. It’s impossible to find the right words to describe how grateful we are.
When you have to build your life from scratch, and get used to a city of millions, a place and the people of Hous Studios is just the thing to make you feel safe.
Thank you for the warm welcome, dear HOUS team!
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White Canvas
How often in life do you start over? How often have I thought to myself, "what if I could start from scratch again". I never thought it would ever come to that. And then we got this chance.
Were we scared? Yes! Did we know what this step meant? We had no idea.
Standing in front of a white canvas as an artist can seem overwhelming at first— you often ask yourself way too many questions. What colors, what shapes, where do I start... that's how this step into this new life in Los Angeles felt to us.
But once you pick up the brush and just get going, a beautiful painting emerges. When you have a mentor like Noah by your side, his wife Karla who accompanies you like a big sister, and a team that feels like your family from day one, maybe not just a painting but a small museum is created.
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Los Angeles through Italian eyes.
No matter what you do, you take the car.
You eat here often in a rush, therefore for us Europeans regular restaurants are called "sit-down restaurants".
Breakfast burritos exist and are amazing!
They have to learn how to drink coffee.
Skid Row is not a camping site.
Sunday strolls should not be done downtown.
Halloween in America — thanks for the trauma.
No matter what you eat, butter is part of it.
Pizza — no comment.
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Aha Moments
There are people who have that certain something that you can't be taught. Noah is such a person.
Team meetings on Saturday or one-on-ones with Noah change everything. When Noah explains to you in 30 seconds what you have been trying to understand all your life, then you know you have ended up in the right place.
I've been learning from Noah for 3 months now and it feels like I've learned more in these 90 days than all the years before. It's only when I go through my sketchbooks that I realize how my drawing style, line work, and sense of shading and values have changed and improved.
Looking over Noah's shoulder as he prepares his designs, as he draws, as he creates compositions and uses them to create art on people's bodies, is pure fascination.
Learning about art through his eyes not only widens your horizons, it opens up completely new worlds. I realized that I'm still at the very beginning and I cannot express in words what this journey at Noah's side means to me.
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Become Aware
Life happens, time flies, years pass, and we take many things for granted. We are no longer aware of what we have and how valuable it is. When you start completely new, in a place where nobody knows you and you know nothing and no one, you become aware of so many things. Suddenly you realize how nice it is not to have to think, how valuable known ways are, how beautiful routines can be, how carefree it is to know exactly where you can get your favorite bread and the right coffee, where you can sit down on a sunny Sunday to read a book, where to find the best ice cream, and which bar makes the best cocktails.
Starting over also means re-learning what you've forgotten.
This journey makes me grow not only as an artist, but also as a person.
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The Journey
Since I met Noah, I have learned that we are eternal students. I have often wondered if at some point in life you "arrive," and since I have been here, I have realized that the magic of life is to always be on a journey.