Jillian Lukiwski – Art and Adventure in the American West

Jillian Lukiwski is a writer, photographer, and silversmith who lives near the banks of the Snake River in south central Idaho. Her quiet confidence and deliberate approach to living have allowed Jillian to blaze her own trail, creating a rewarding career and an authentic life centered around Idaho’s unique landscape. When not working, Jillian and her husband Robert enjoy the western lifestyle from every imaginable angle—bird hunting with their german shorthair pointers, big game hunting, fishing, running, horseback riding, mountain biking, caring for their farm animals, and cultivating their land, to name a few.

Big western landscapes have always been an important part of Jillian’s life—her father worked for Canada’s National Park Service, so she was raised with a deep appreciation for the outdoors and adventure. From an early age, she was riding—and falling off of—horses, shadowing her father in the backcountry, and building a personal foundation of self-sufficiency and toughness. As a young woman, she applied that ingrained tenacity to writing, photography, and creating jewelry, and has since built a loyal following of admirers and customers around the world through her website, The Noisy Plume.

We had a fun conversation and managed to cover a wide range of interesting topics. We discussed her life path that eventually landed her in southeastern Idaho, and we chatted about the unique nature of that region. We talked about her creative process, how she’s been mostly self-taught in all of her art forms, and how she is able to manage the distractions of social media and the online world. We chatted about the importance of being uncomfortable, and how self-imposed physical and mental challenges can help to inoculate yourself against the inevitable difficulties of life. Jillian is a voracious reader, so we had a great discussion about books, as well as how reading has contributed to her success as a writer.  Be sure to check the episode notes for a full list of everything we discussed.

This was a fun and inspiring interview, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!

All photos courtesy of Jillian Lukiwski

Click Here to Download on iTunes

—

Click Here to Download on Google Play

—

Click Here to Download on Stitcher

—

Episode Notes

Topics Discussed:

• The Noisy Plume
• Jillian on Instagram
• Pocatello, Idaho
• Canadian National Parks
• The Wolf in the Parlor by Jon Franklin
• Alpha film trailer
• And So I Hunt by Jillian Lukiwski
• Ladies of the Canyons by Lesley Poling-Kempes
• Two in the Far North by Margaret Murie
• Claiming Ground by Laura Bell
• Ernest Hemingway
• Mary Oliver
• Dakota by Kathleen Norris
• The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris
• Where the Rivers Change by Mark Spragg (this is the one we couldn’t remember the name of)
• Unbranded
• Ben Masters podcast interview
• The River and The Wall