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.

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.

 

Painting with intuition

After reading Flora Bowley's book "Brave Intuitive Painting" in less than 2 days, I jumped on my painting material and decided to follow my intuition instead of my "already-made-idea", like I usually do.

The result is quite stunning. Not that the paintings in themselves are exceptional but when you think that I started from a blank canvas, with absolutely no idea in mind, and that I ended up with bright, colorful paintings that actually represent something, I think it's amazing.

I used my hands. A lot. Like both hands, full of paint. I also sprayed a lot of water, making a mess in my workshop. I used bubble wrap. Lids. Erasers. Stamps. Oh, and sometimes, a brush. Layer after layer, something eventually emerged.

I cannot describe the feelings it gave me. I felt just... so good. So me. In touch with my inner self, with everything that I am, the part people know, the part I never show... At some moments in the process, I felt I was laying a part of me directly on the canvas.

This way of approaching painting is very different from everything I used to do. But I'm now addicted to it and my paintings might have a totally new look in the future... 

Spring of Creativity

I felt a sudden burst of ideas lately, a rush of desire for creating and expressing myself through art - with the blossoming of the flowers, the chants of the birds and the warm breeze playing in my curtains, my creativity woke up from its long winter hibernation.

I bought an art journal where I draw, paint and paste almost everyday now. I feel that the time spent dedicated to my creativity is helping me to create a truer, more whole version of myself.

It's the Spring of my creativity. The Spring of my most authentic me.

Sixty Candles

My mom turned 60 last week and my father organized a surprise party for her. He asked me to make a card for everybody to sign instead of buying one. "It looks much better when it's handmade!" he said. You are right, dad: handmade is way better :)!

So I doodled a flowery and swirly 60, with all my love, for the best mom in the world.

In Solidarity

I created this piece of art for a silent auction that will be held May 14th. All the money will go to Marie-Sol, a woman/mother/artist who lost her arms and legs after being affected by a bacteria in March. You can read her story (in french) and find out more about the auction initiative (also in french).

Colors of Morocco

 

 

 

  

Medina Polizzi

Coco Polizzi, a Rabat-born Italian architect, has created La Medina d'Agadir, an idealised Berber village, built using traditional techniques and materials, with workshops for 30 independent artisans. An amazing place to visit while in Agadir.

Enchanted Land of Pink Urchins and Orange Mushys

First I found this photo. Love.

But then I found another one. Love. Love.

So I decided to have a look at the complete photo collection of Machel Spence. Oh. My. Goodness. All those mushrooms, and insects and birds and flowers photos... I felt like a tiny creature travelling in a magical forest full of fungi smells and sparkling lights. Machel's photos are like images of an enchanted land, where you can rest under an umbrella-mushroom or ride on the back of a woolly moth.

A great thing about Machel's amazing photos is they are affordable.
I need to get at least some of them to put next to the beachcombing photos !

Meanwhile, you can come with me for a walk, we could jump on top of an orange mushroom with a baby mantis...