Creativista - or how to reconnect with your inner self by using your creativity.

It has been a long time. But I told you I was working on something else, something new. Something important for me, something meaningful.

I launched Creativista back in August and as much as I wanted to make it in french and to dedicate this project to the french-speaking community, I didn't feel it was attracting people as it would have attracted english-speaking people. Being on numerous (english) forums and groups dedicated to art and creativity, I see the excitement and the true interest for these subjects. I have a lot of artists (english) friends, see many (english) workshops available and bought many (english) books about painting, creativity, artists... Unfortunateley, I didn't see anything like that on the "french side". The buzz is just not there. So, being a creative person who encourages people to use that creativity, I decided to just make a move and turn everything to english. My site is now fully converted and my blog posts will now be written solely in english.

It was not an easy decision but it was a brave and bold one. And since the website is now available in english, I invite you to come and visit me over there.

I usually post a creative exercice every Saturday and an art/creativity/family-related (or sometimes totally random!) article every Wednesday.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook , Twitter and to subscribe to the Creativista Newsletter (you’ll find the optin box at the top of the Welcome page). And don’t forget to comment as much as you want – I love comments and I usually answer all of them.

I hope to see you soon at Creativista!

Blooming True

Yikes! Time passes! Another 2 months without blogging...
But I've got good reasons. Very, very good reasons. And I mean goooooooood :).

I've decided I have dreams and I've decided I'm going to work towards them, each and every day of my life. I've decided to be brave, to be bold, to follow my intuition and my heart and to step out of my comfort zone.

I've always wanted to be an artist. I mean, I always was, and I am now shamelessly able to admit I am one, but I always wanted to make my living as a full time artist.

At the same time, even if painting and creating is something I could do 24h a day, I cannot imagine 'just' doing that, because I also have the need to make a difference in people's life.

But guess what! I simply discovered I can do both. I can create and transmit. I believe I have the potential to light up the world with my passion! My ultimate goal is to own a space where people will come and reconnect to their profound essence through creativity. My first step towards that goal is to hold creativity classes. I'll be starting in September incha'Allah. I'll be helping people get better in their lives through simple yet powerful exercices that will teach them to take more time for themselves and to gradually develop an habit of finding creative solutions.

And because nothing happens by accident, I'm presently following a phenomenal, life-changing e-course with one of my favorite artist, Flora Bowley, called Bloom True. And gosh, how am I blooming true right now! It's not just a painting class. It's an amazing journey and for me it has been life-changing. I discovered a lot about myself, my fears, my intuition, my bravery and my potential. I've been able to translate a lot of the teachings of Flora into my personal life and I can tell you the results are amazing - both on the canvas and in my every day life.

I'm not done with the painting since we are in the last week of the course, but I have one canvas finished. Here are (some of) the different stages it went through. I started this with absolutely no idea in mind about what it would look like in the end and I still cannot believe what that painting became. It revealed itself bit by bit and to my surprise I found out I was able to paint in a completely different way than I was used to.

It is said that we have 1000 bad paintings in us so I guess I'm far from 'the' painting that will reveal my true voice and my talent but it's a first of a series of new paintings and I'm unstoppable at this point. I already have about 4-5 in progress right now!

 

So! Now you know a lot about what's going on for me. I may not come here soon again but I'll sure keep you posted about my next move. And for my french readers, I brand new blog is about to be born - I'll let you know when it's ready.

Much love to all of you and I pray you'll follow you dreams and be brave with your life. It's worth it.

Hasta La Vista, Cuba...

These Little Things

I enjoy cute little things. They make my days brighter. They put a smile on my face. They remind me that I don'y need much to be grateful, to be happy.

I couldn't resist getting these!

* BTW, the little teapot/tea bag holder says "isn't life beautiful?" :)

Following my intuition

My paintings have dramatically changed since I read Flora Bowley's book "Brave Intuitive Painting". I don't want to have an end in mind anymore when I pick a brush and start to paint on a new canvas. I'm finally trying to trust my intuition, find my unique voice and allow my creative impulses to lead the way.

It takes a lot of courage to let go and even if the end result is not exactly satisfying, the journey was awesome.  Every day, for about 10 days, I painted for about 2 hours. I experienced colors, techniques, stamps, spray... Every layer was revealing something totally new and surprising. You can click on each image to see the details of the painting...

Next step: the Bloom True Course by Flora herself! A 5 week online course to help me unlock my creative flow and find my own style...

Meanwhile, I'm working on a very-big-and-very-dear-to-my-heart project that could help you  unlock your creativity... It's one of my biggest dream and I decided this year was going to be THE year. Once again I'm following my intuition and getting out of my comfort zone - and I hope many of you will profit! Stay tuned for more details!

Dear computer, I missed you... not!

My dear computer died almost 2 weeks ago. After a moment of panic, I had to deal with the fact that I was going to live without it for a couple of days. I sent it to the tech to see if it was in any way fixable and after 3 days I was told it was going to cost me a lot of money and the guy wasn't sure if it would still work. The good news, my datas were not lost. And I had to buy a new computer. For a total of 6 days I couldn't work on my design contracts or waste my time on Facebook, so I decided to pretend computers don't exist.

It was one of the best week in a long time. I did what I never have enough time to do.

A cup of tea. A candle. A book. Watercolor, old magazines, scissors, glue.

In the end, it was the best thing that could happen to me. I have a brand new iMac now but I decided to turn it off after 7pm to do what I never have enough time to do.

A cup of tea. A candle. A book. Watercolor, old magazines, scissors, glue. And a lot of time, precious, quiet time with myself.

Creative Night Out

For my 38th birthday, I gave myself a special present: a creativity workshop with Manon Lavoie from M comme Muses. I've been following M for a while on the net and love the way Manon approaches creativity - one small step at a time.

Finally, yesterday was the day I have been waiting for a while. I sat around a table with 8 other women, for a night, to reconnect with my inner self and use that space and time to listen, write and create.

I loved how everyone is at the same time different but share the same desire to create, to reconnect, to follow their intuition, their dreams. And with simple questions and exercices, Manon was able to help us start the journey back to our authentic selves.

Of course, three hours is not enough, but the spark lit the fuse. I promised myself I'll take a little time everyday to doodle, scribble, paint, write or just take a picture, to make sure I stay on the path of creativity - and keep in touch with my inner core.

And Nothing Else Matter

I felt like painting with kids watercolor. So I did. Despite all the cleaning and other booooring stuff I 'had' to do.

Ha.

 

This and That

I have a lot of favorites on Etsy. Many things I could never do myself, but some I can actually, more or less, reproduce. Not saying the final result is as amazing as the "original" but it's highly satisfying.

Here's what I was able to do lately. Liked this, made that... Left, the original. Right, my humble try.

inspired by Branchbound's bracelets

inspired by EcoShag's upcycled accessories

inspired by Divina Locura's bracelet

No Paint, No Gain

It's (always) a beautiful day to hold a brush, spray some water and paint everywhere, use new colors and make a mess in the workshop.

Inner Peace

I'm the living proof that the right therapy can liberate you.

I experienced something totally unexpected this week. I was able, through a guided introspection/relaxation, to re-live the event that ruined my whole life. An event, that any child would've lived without having any after-effect. It seems for me, it was different. I thought I was responsible for what happened. And all my life after that, inconsciously, I thought I had something to hide, something so terrible I didn't deserved to be happy. I basically sabotaged my own happiness because I was guilty of something that couldn't be forgiven.

And now. Now that I had this 'revelation'. My life is already different. I feel free. I feel liberated. I feel good. Laughing out loud, for no particular reason. Smiling to myself, for so many reasons.

If you're still wondering weither or not you should start a therapy, well believe me, miracles can happen.

Inner peace can happen.

Pssst! BTW, I highly recommend the rational emotive behavior therapy :).

New-merous Novelties

New stuff for the new year, more styles, more sizes, and the same authentic, hand-picked seaglass from eastern Canada. When was the last time you visited Zamzam Creations shop?