A 'Peace of my Mind' lands in St. Paul

One of our goals with this storytelling work has always been to amplify hope, healing, and connection – and to bring people together to support one another.”

John Noltner

Audio

A peace of my mind lands in St Paul_Margie O’Loughlin.mp3

Photographer and storyteller John Noltner has settled into his new work space at 550 Vandalia Street, suite #170, in Hamline-Midway’s Creative Enterprise Zone. He shares the multi-use facilities with Sahan Journal, Saint Paul Neighborhood Association, Listen UP Youth Radio, and the Roots Moravian Church, and he’s delighted to have a home for his growing multi-media project “A Peace of my Mind.”
Noltner said, “I’ve worked as a photographer and storyteller for more than three decades, and this is my first-ever brick and mortar.” He continued, “What I can do here is create a space that encourages careful self-reflection, and the opportunity to hear voices from different experiences.”

From there to here
The guiding principle behind A Peace of my Mind is to bridge divides and build community through storytelling and art. That’s a tall order for a small non-profit in a bitterly divided world. Who is John Noltner and how did he prepare for this particular kind of work?
Born in Beaver Dam, Wis., Noltner was hired as a staff photographer for a daily newspaper right out of college. He went on to become a product photographer in a studio, where he learned a lot about lighting and technical shooting before he started freelancing for magazines, nonprofits and corporate clients. His images have appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, Forbes, Health, Midwest Living, New York Daily News, and more.
Noltner said, “When I look back, I can see that by 2008 my frustration over our national narrative was really growing. I felt that so much attention was being given to what divides us as a nation. I was ready to start using my skill set to talk about what unites us.”
He continued, “The Great Recession hit that year, and the economy handed me some free-time. I had a chance to start thinking about what might come next. A Peace of My Mind was born, and what began as a small personal project grew into something much bigger.”
He began the work in earnest as an artist, educator, and facilitator. Then in the fall of 2020, Noltner and his wife Karen sold their home in Minneapolis and hit the road. For the next 900 days, they crisscrossed the country and collected stories while living in their van. By the time they returned to Minnesota, they had logged more than 93,000 miles.
Noltner said, “This journey was born out of a difficult season and the desire to remember the beauty and wisdom that is all around us. We set out to find stories of hope, healing, and transformation. Our goal was to meet people who were affected by and engaged with the issues of the day. We wanted to learn more about the complexities of the world, to mourn our deep wounds as a country, and to celebrate our spirit of resilience.”

What does peace mean to you?
Noltner has made an art out of listening, and learning to suspend his expectations of what other people will say. In the process of collecting stories, he begins with asking an open-ended question. The answers that are shared, and the photographs that are inspired by the conversations that follow, are compelling enough to have won him a 2024 Minnesota Book Award for his book called, “Lessons on the Road to Peace.”
Noltner said, “One of our goals with this storytelling work has always been to amplify hope, healing, and connection – and to bring people together to support one another. Sure there are people I interview that I disagree with, but I can’t change who they are and I wouldn’t want to try. It’s human nature to jump into the most contentious issues right away, without building foundational relationships first – so we work on building those relationships.”
An example of how Noltner works is a five-day retreat he led in Colorado with veterans through Project Sanctuary, an organization that helps military families to heal from trauma, PTSD, or suicide of a relative. He said, “When I meet a group of a couple dozen people willing to participate in a project, the first thing I need to do is establish trust.
“Trust can be hard-earned, especially when someone is coming from outside their experience. I’m not a vet, but I do have a track record of collecting stories and making images. I always bring some books along or a small portfolio, and over time, we’re able to get there.
“The vets were asked an open-ended question, ‘What do you want people to know?’ I think we have found ways to create healing with the visual storytelling that we do. The story telling process allows people to feel seen, heard, and valued.”

Creative change makers
Several times a year, A Peace of My Mind hosts a speaker in their Creative Change Makers series. The next speaker will be Rose McGee, founder of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie: a community-building organization that uses food traditions, the arts, and other forms of culture-sharing to spark human connection, healing and change. Rose will speak on April 17 at 7 p.m. at 550 Vandalia Street, #170. There is no cost to attend; reservations are recommended and can be made on the event page at https://apeaceofmymind.org. 
“A Peace of my Mind is my project, but I have a tendency to say WE when I’m talking about it,” observed Noltner. “The WE encompasses every person who has shared their story over the last 17 years. The WE also includes my family and friends, our donor base, the people who come to our gatherings, and the organizations who invite us in.
“I’m curious about most things and most people. This kind of listening is how I explore the world.”