By Elise Gray
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
On a brisk evening in Running Springs, fellow adventurers and art enthusiasts gathered beneath the towering pines of Havenwood to experience the creative storytelling of resident author, artist and climber Jeremy Collins.
Rock climbing enthusiasts and Running Springs locals gathered at the Sips and Stories event at Havenwood.
His early experiences with climbing and drawing began with a rock-climbing book he found in a Kansas City library. That eventually led to a 30-year career illustrating for the former Rock and Ice magazine and National Geographic. As Collins’ talk began, a quote from the renowned poet Mary Oliver appeared on the screen in thin black letters: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” This was one of many simple yet impactful phrases that appeared during his hour-long recollection of vast voyages, spanning from Arctic Circle to the Moonlight Buttress.
The evening featured a series of short films showcasing his adventures across the world. Collins went on to explain how his artistic mountain-climbing explorations led him to one of his most challenging journeys, the one with himself.
“I found my way through illustrating and telling other people’s stories. After a decade of that, I thought, ‘What’s my story?’ I started questioning my identity.” So, he set forth on yet another trek, one that would lead him to impactful global collaborations and, eventually, his first book and a later adapted film, Drawn.
Collins then explained how he embarked on another career-changing moment through his work in Nepal, following the 2015 earthquake. He recalled that, amid the destruction, local children were too frightened to attend school. In collaboration with nonprofits, he began a mural project, moving from town to town to inspire and reignite communities. He collaborated with locals by asking what they wanted to see. The answer? Hope.
That desire for hope led Collins to yet another transformative experience, working with GoPro for a Cause. He traveled with Nick Greece, a world-class paraglider and fellow adventure-seeker, to create a stunt to raise money through Karma Flights, a grassroots nonprofit in Pokhara, Nepal. While grabbing the attention of GoPro is no easy feat, Collins managed to do so. “You have to do something wild,” he noted. “Getting outside of my comfort zone was as important as the art itself.”
Jeremy Collins’ art studio at Havenwood.
Together, he and Greece took his art to new heights – literally. While paragliding at 14,000 feet, Collins drew. The stunt would go on to raise $90,000 for the villages impacted by the earthquake.
Collins has also participated as an artist in impact films such as Tribes on the Edge by Céline Cousteau, where he created portraits and observational drawings of villages throughout the Amazon. All these adventures and more have led him to become a resident author and artist at Havenwood, a place he now considers a creative sanctuary while he crafts his second body of work.
His upcoming book, Eventually a Sequoia, is set to be released by Mountaineers Books in October of next year. The piece will explore his latest project of following and amplifying voices through art while also speaking to his creative process and love for taking risks, both in art and climbing.
As the evening of stories and adventures drew to a close, it was clear that Collins’ career is as expansive as the mountains he’s climbed. The talk not only inspired those in attendance but also reinforced Havenwood’s role as a place where art, community and adventure intersect. With Collins’ continued involvement in the Running Springs community and Rim of the World Climbing Club, this night at Havenwood was just one chapter in an ongoing story of creativity and the celebration of human connection.
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