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Gratitude Friday is a weekly ritual I started in order to focus on all the small and big positive things that happened during my week. I invite you to join me, you’ll see how much being thankful can change your life. If you want to know more about it, read my introduction post.

Hello !

I’m so happy to read your comments and your own Gratitude Friday, to know that it helps you at the end of the week to focus on what matters the most: staying positive in all situations and learning to look at things differently. I’m so blessed and happy.

• This week, I am thankful for the inspiration swirling in my mind. I am fighting the thought crawling that whispers “it won’t last, so take the most of it now !” because I am one of those who believe that we have an unlimited access to a kind of “higher source” of Inspiration, and that we can tap in it everytime, it won’t fade out. Just have to learn how to stay in touch with it.
• I am thankful for the love all around, and the support.
• I am thankful for the work the “after school care” work, they’re awesome ! They planned a role game like “cluedo” for the kids today, to celebrate Halloween.
• I am very grateful for the person who puchase a Goddess Circle Membership through my affiliate link. I love promoting other artists’s work and Leonie is offering this amazing opportunity for pretty cheap: it’s one of the best investment possible (in my opinion) ! That’s why I spread the word for Leonie and Kelly Rae Roberts (see the section in my right sidebar =====>); and I am thankful that they both offer the possibility to earn some money for the help.
• For the insight given to me by my Sisters in the Circe’s Circle; I love the energy here, and that we all help each other as we can. Having the point of view from the outside is very helpful.
• For this painting that I finished (click to enlarge and have a better view). I think it the one I love the most, it brings a sense of accomplishment in my heart despite the fact it’s totally out of my usual colour palette, even the face is different but still “my style”. It’s hard to let her go in a new home. I have to set a price and put her for sale. I need to sell my artwork, it can’t stay in a closet forever, they’re meant to be shared and loved.
• Thank you it’s friday !! I’m very tired, like all my energy (physical and spiritual) had been drained out of me. It’s Samhain on Sunday so I’ll be busy but now that my daughters are older, they’ll help me in the kitchen 😀

I wish I could afford my fellow Vancouverite artist Vivienne in her self-portrait workshop You are your own muse. I know all the love she put in it and it’s right what I need but I spend too much money in others’ workshops, I have to earn money before spending some more (says my husband) 🙁 Today is your last chance to sign up !

I wish you all a happy Trick or Treating this week-end, have fun, honour your ancestors, make room for the new year and let go off the old.

If you wrote your Gratitude Friday on your blog, don’t forget to enter your NAME and URL below so I’m notified and can come to read you (you can also join by commenting this post):
[linkme]

I don’t know how your Creative Spirit works. And I must confess that I am just at the beginning of discovering the all process of mine.

I can have my head buzzing for weeks, full of new images, new color combinations, new pattern I want to try, new techniques I want to explore that I have no idea how to manage all these things I want to do. And I can be for weeks not feeling like creating something new, or going on with what is actually in progress. Like “I don’t even want to look at my pain or see my crayons”. It’s a real big roller coaster. And being at the low side of the loop is sometimes very hard and frustrating. I’m sure you’ve been there, too. Haven’t you ?

I still don’t really know for sure how to deal with it, but realized that forcing creativity and inspiration is absolutely not working for me. So I go with the flow, I do something else until it strikes my head again. BUM !

October has been a mix of “wow I want to create this, and that, oh and this new thing is just fantastic, I have to give it a try”, and about ten days of “why do I want to create, by the way ? I’m not even a real artist that has real projects, that sells blablabla” and I did nothing except writing again as a daily practice and achieve some experience pages in my Art Journal.
And the thing is that… I’m have facing a blogging block for two weeks now. Absolutely no will to write here. I have no idea where it cames from, it slapped me in the face out of nowhere. Just I didn’t want to write on my blog. And as always, I decided not to go against what my heart was telling me (to be silent).

BUT I fell in love all over again with painting, with creating my world, with wanting to put it inside in the World.

How do you deal with your creative ebb and flow ? Do you know how to always access this source of inspiration within you; how do you do ?
I’d love to hear from you. Sharing with others our process sometimes just helps to identify how we roll.

Here is 3 of the artworks I work on this month (The smaller ones measure 16″x20″. Click to enlarge).

1. Hope in a bottle
2. Uniqueness
3. I am meant to shine

The first one (in the middle) was in progress for MONTHS. No kidding. I remember having shown the sketch at the early beginning on my Twitter account. I was not happy with it, too much brush strokes showing, some of the colours weren’t as I wishing them to look etc. As Jesse Reno would say “if you wonder “Am i done with it ?” then the answer is simple: “NO !!!!”” 😉 I was less affraid to go over the part I didn’t fully love, to cover again and again. I added this and that. It needs more small details and then it’ll be finished.

The second one (on the right) was inspired of a discussion we had regarding our values in Jamie Ridler‘s Circe’s Circle. It says “I accept and embrace my Uniqueness”. Because I know how hard it is to stand for who you know you are, and not who you want people to think you are and even less who people think you are. It’s hard to finally be able to say “I am me, and only me”. So this painting is my little reminder that we are all Unique, and that it’s thanks to all our uniquenesses that the World is so rich and so beautiful.
Prints of it are already available in my RedBubble page: right here. And if you only want the “quote”, here it is.

The last one (click to enlarge) is nearly done too (I worked more on it since I took the general picture above). I just love love love it. It was inspired by my session with the awesomely fantastic Jo Anna Rothman.
I love the gentleness I see in it, but she’s definately bold. And she is not affraid of affirming that yes, she is meant to shine, she assumes it because there’s no shame of shining. Because we all carry Light and Darkness inside, but we all deserve to show our Light to others. I have to accept that I’m not only made of Darkness and that my Light shouldn’t only stay inside. I experimented a technique learned in Julie Prichard’s last online class, in duo with Chris Cozen, called Texture Town.

I fell in love with saying what i have to say through my artwork, with writing everyday, with having paint all over me (oops), with dreaming of what I could do next at night.
And it’s SO good to be in love.

Gratitude Friday is a weekly ritual I started in order to focus on all the small and big positive things that happened during my week. I invite you to join me, you’ll see how much being thankful can change your life. If you want to know more about it, read my introduction post.

This week was full of lessons and learnings. By the way, I wonder why I always have to learn things the hard way. I’m very emotionnal this week, I don’t know if today’s Full Harvest Moon is messing with me but aaaaaaaaaaaah (sound of a deep sigh).
But it’s in these kind of harsh moments that I count my blessings and see that all my past, even the most painful events, is what makes me… me. And hooray ! Today I got a new idea regarding my book project. It may make it easier, or not. But more cohesive for sure.
This week’s Gratitude Friday is hard to write. Not because I don’t see what to be thankful for, but because for unknown reasons, I don’t “want” to write here, in the blog. I do have lots of things I want to share, I want to show you, I want your input on. But I don’t know,

I know that some of you are facing a kind of block. Not finding what is making the joy of your life. But remember: your Gratitude list doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t have to be full. Just listen to this little voice that makes your heart sing. What does she tell you ?

This week, I’m grateful for aAron’s new album, Birds in the storm. Not all the songs are good, but I was waiting for this album for years now.

Thank you for the inspiration striking me. Beautiful ideas are taking shape on canvas. I don’t work as much as I would like, but I still don’t have an art studio so it’s hard to be organized. I enjoy every minute of the creating process, from the idea sprouting in my mind to the sketching to the final artwork.

Thank you for all the messages I received about the latest artwork I shared on my RedBubble page (I still have to share it here more precisely). It’s not perfect, I still have to work on the face shading. But the message is there, and I love love love it. You can’t really see it on the picture above but it says “I accept and embrace my Uniqueness“.
You can buy prints (laminated, canvas print, simple print), cards etc of it. I had really good feedback on the quality and service by one of the sweet heart who bought some of my art there. It’s a cheap and easy way to have my artwork in your home.

Thank you for the friends who are in my life for many years now. We went through storms together, but the link between us is still strong despite everything. It’s important to me to celebrate it. Thank you for being by my side no matter what.

Thank you for the Love I receive, in every kind of way possible.

If you wrote your Gratitude Friday on your blog, don’t forget to enter your NAME and URL below so I’m notified and can come to read you (you can also join by commenting this post):
[linkme]

Gratitude Friday is a weekly ritual I started in order to focus on all the small and big positive things that happened during my week. I invite you to join me, you’ll see how much being thankful can change your life. If you want to know more about it, read my introduction post.

Gosh I’m happy this week is over ! It was a rough one and for once, I really struggled seeing the light in all these doubts and anxiety that filled me. I cried a river of painful tears, tears are good because at least, the emotions don’t stay inside of me.

This week, I feel blessed for this Darkness because it allows me to discover some new sides of myself. Thank you Jamie for bringing new insights I wasn’t able to see because caught up in it from head to toes. Thank you to my Circe’s Sister for the love the send me and lightened my heart in an unexpected way.

I’m thankful for my 5yo daughter Grenouille (no, it’s not her first name, don’t worry ;)) because she does her best to improve herself, because she’s wonderful and lovely and cute and smart and beautiful as much inside as out. Thank you for thursday’s junk food dinner we had all together, full of laughters and fun. What it should always be.

Thank you for the new painting I’m working on. I’m really really loving it and am very pleased by the turn it’s taking. Following the flow without overthinking the result.

Thanks again and again for the beautiful days we have in Vancouver. If it could be like this during all Fall season, I’ll be the happiest in the city.

Thanks A. at the school’s after school care who is awesome. The coincidence of life makes that we were in the secondary schools located on the same street in France, but not at the same time. Thanks to her for loving Grenouille so much, she needs it and we do too.

I am thankful for the kindness and the love my younger daughter Koala brings me everyday. All her hugs and kisses and “I love you mama” just warm up my heart when I need it the most.

I realized on Thursday that I don’t have to be affraid of being helpless sometimes and to tell it (as long as I don’t complain and stay in this state without fighting) because people’s outside point of view can make all the difference. What I see as a useless moment takes a totally different meaning when I’m told “it was a tough conversation you had with yourself but you realized who you are [as an artist]; it’s not nothing.”

Thank you to the Ladies on twitter who just AMAZED me by the encouragment words regarding my recent breakthrough, I never thought of a response like this to this tweet.

If you wrote your Gratitude Friday on your blog, don’t forget to enter your NAME and URL below so I’m notified and can come to read you (you can also join by commenting this post):
[linkme]

I’m so sorry to write only now, but I kind of needed a blogging/painting break. Not in the mood. But i managed to start a few more paintings, I’ll talk about it soon, don’t worry.

And I realized that I made a mistake when I first draw the winner (I didn’t count the correct amount of participants) so I’ll see with Jo Anna to figure out something.

The winner iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis my fellow Vancouverite Lynna !!!

Congratulations Lynna, I am SO happy for you !!! I’ll give your email address to Jo Anna so you can get in touch for your guiding & healing session with her.

There a 3rd and final giveaway to come soon 😉 It’ll be back in creativity again.

Take care