Welcome to Otherworld.
I'm your host, Jack Wagner.
This episode is about a man named Tim.
Tim is a professor, as well as a painter,
and the story you're about to hear takes place
while he is attending an artist residency in Upstate New York.
If you aren't familiar, an artist residency is a special program that gives artists dedicated time,
space, and resources to focus on their work.
It's a chance to step away from everyday life,
create work in a new environment, and often connect with other artists.
This is something that you generally have to apply for and essentially win.
It's usually very competitive and it's a big deal to get a chance to go and do this.
There are residencies for non-artists as well,
but basically it's a time for somebody to truly focus on their craft and do special work.
And it's also a time that would really not be great to have any kind of interruption or distraction,
especially the kind that eventually happened to Tim as you're about to hear.
Tim has lived his entire life as a staunch non-believer and materialist,
He is certainly not the first person of that sort to appear on the show,
but I think Tim really clung onto that denial of his own experiences longer than most would.
And to make matters worse,