Enemy of the Average
In this “as-told-to,” Jessica Antola channels iconoclastic Polish opera singer Ganna Walska (1887-1984) on location at Lotusland, Walska’s famed Santa Barbara gardens
I always felt that I was born in the wrong era and was therefore never entirely understood. I defied convention and was an enemy of the average. Looking back, I would say that I was on a lifelong quest of sorts. In my younger, more destructive years I craved new experiences and an opera career. My six marriages were part of this quest through my first phases of life. After all, if we don’t advance, we retrograde, and I had no time for that!
“Persistence,” by Jessica Antola
“Renewal,” by Jessica Antola
My many husbands funded my lavish lifestyle and exquisite taste in jewelry, which I eventually sold off for exotic plant species to create my ultimate love, Lotusland. It was here, in the second half of my life, that I began my search for spiritual enlightenment. I painted with plants, creating a surrealist landscape of 37 acres. Some considered my gardening style eccentric, bold, and extravagant, but more is certainly better!
“Awakened Consciousness,'“ by Jessica Antola
“Enemy of the Average,” by Jessica Antola
“Emergence,” by Jessica Antola
I avoided the conventions of traditional garden design and planted a hundred of the same rare species in one area. Then I covered my garden in jewels, abalone shells, crystals, and lava rocks and created 20 distinct gardens to showcase my varied botanical collection. I named my garden Lotusland because it was my place of spiritual renewal. I identified with the lotus flower—a tightly closed bud growing through the murky waters to emerge as a beautiful bloom, reborn with purity and enlightenment. I was transformed and my consciousness was awakened in the Santa Barbara air.
“More Is Better,” by Jessica Antola
Jessica Antola is a photographer, director, and artist based in Brooklyn.