OK Body, I am Listening

How to use The Emotion Code to get to root causes of Physical / Emotional Pain or Illness

At the beginning of 2018, I was working as a full time artist, storyteller and educator, traveling to schools throughout Ontario performing for children, doing art shows and also teaching Abstract Intuitive Painting and Creative Writing Workshops for adults. Having to wear so many different hats and juggling a busy schedule, I could see how stress was ever present in my life and was affecting my health, my mood and my sleep.

And because 2018 was the year of a milestone birthday for me, I realized that something had to change. I didn’t want to carry that stress into the next decade. So I cast a plea out into the Universe to “Please help me figure out my stress.”

Having seen my mother struggle with addiction her whole life, and knowing that her mother had committed suicide, I was afraid that I would somehow continue a destructive pattern with stress if I wasn’t careful. I needed to figure this out.

Ask and ye shall receive…

The Universe responded with a series of events that eventually got me to understanding my stress. But of course it was nothing like what I had hoped for or wanted.

A Vision

About four years ago I created a Vision Board. I cut out random words and pictures from magazines to create a vision of things I would like for the future. And for four years I stared at this picture of a little town with lanterns and boats and bridges never knowing where it actually was.

As I was researching things to see near Shanghai I came across the exact picture that was in my vision board and this past August I founds myself in this exact town!

Home, Love, Belong: the emotional journey behind a painting

A painting is most definitely a journey… some paintings happen easily without much struggle, others… not so much.  I recently posted some new paintings on my Facebook Nathalie Vachon – Artist page (as works in progress from Flora Bowley’s Bloom True e-course so people could see the many layered steps involved).  Here is a peak into the emotional journey that often accompanies each step:

HOME, LOVE, BELONG

Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability

Another must-see TED talk about vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame

An Inspiration

As some of you know, my Uncle Paul has always been an inspiration to me.  Where my father encouraged me to be a doctor, dentist, lawyer and stay clear of the arts (of course he meant well, as many parents do) my uncle lived a creative life and was living proof that an artist can not only survive but can flourish.  I wasn’t sure if he really knew how he was a beacon for my own creative dreams but before he passed away this summer I tried to let him know.

And after he passed away I wanted to do something to honour all that he meant to me and to so many others.  This song was written in hopes of capturing how dear he was to all of us.

Written, created and produced by Ross Lynde (hubby extraordinaire) and myself.  Photos care of my also wonderful cousin Pierre-Etienne.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools kill Creativity?

A wonderful Ted.com talk most definitely worth listening to.

Be Patient…

I came across this quote from Ranier Maria Rilke years ago and it remains one of my favorites to this day:

You Deserve the Best

Thinking of Japan

As the images of earthquake and tsunami come from Japan my heart aches.  I have never been so deeply touched by a country and am so grateful to Japan for the time I spent there and the friends I have made.

Here is a lovely tribute to Japan on Etsy in honour of all the beauty that comes from Japan…

And below are some images from the Meiji Jingu Shrine (from our two days in Tokyo this past summer), I am sure that many prayers are being hung today.

Chased by a Poem

Sometimes poetry or paintings or ideas just come.  They appear when we least expect them.  Or all of a sudden loose ends or images that we may have been thinking about surface; they unconsciously tie themselves together to form something new.  In this wonderful talk by Elizabeth Gilbert on Ted.com, the author of Eat, Pray, Love talks about the creative process and creative muses.

One of my favorite parts is where she mentions the poet Ruth Stone.  Ruth, as a young girl said she would be out working in the fields and she could hear a poem coming, barreling across the Virginia landscape.  And she would have to run home in order to get it down on paper.  This speech is under 20 minutes and so worth listening to.   It is confirmation and a little bit of balm for the creative soul.