Maria B. (ESI) - On Mood, Art, and Interests

I am a person of art: delicate, elevated, refined. Aristocratic blood runs through my veins. Since childhood, I’ve possessed a certain fastidiousness, a grace, and a high-mindedness that always made me the "black sheep." On one hand, I’ve always been a leader—I sought leadership because I felt that power and potential within me—yet there was always a sense of isolation. I felt like an outsider. "Not of this world." Everyone would say, "She is different; she’s not like the rest. She should have been born in the 18th century, not this one." I possess refinement, good breeding, and a sense of duty.

I am impulsive, a creature of moods, easily captivated. I chase after ideas and interests. I need something to fascinate me, to inspire me, to carry me away—I love the feeling of being completely immersed in an interest. Mere "existence" does not satisfy me.