I had the honor of interviewing this inspirational woman and bask in the wisdom she offers. To listen to our interview CLICK HERE

Linda Joy

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Contemporary artist Olek immigrated from Poland and is currently living and working in New York City. The evolution of her art led her to an unlikely source of inspiration. She disovered crocheting and was hooked!

Although crocheting is time consuming and reminiscent of knitting parties, Olek managed to transform crocheting into a cutting edge contemporary art expression.

Here is an example of how Olek transformed a room into a crochet extravaganza. She creates entire bodysuits and furniture coverings that camouflage everything into a buffet of colours, shapes and textures.

One of the challenges every artist faces is finding the audience and clients for the work. Olek has found that dancers and performers are regular clients requesting innovative costumes and set visuals. Here are some of Olek’s crocheted bodysuit costumes dancing on the beach.

When I asked Olek about how long her pieces take, she admittedly said they take hours. But the creative process is meditative and provides ample opportunity to watch movies and engage in stories and imagination. Here is Olek working on a piece on herself. (Love that tall chair!)

To listen to interview with Olek CLICK HERE

To learn more about Olek go to: www.agataolek.com

Lille Diane turned to art after a near fatal car accident tipped her over the edge.  Surviving the accident was a blessing but it came with a case of post-traumatic stress disorder.  Art and creative expression have been the saving grace from this whole experience.

Here is a portrait of Lille Diane in a moment of contemplation.

As a Soul Artist I know the power of art as a way to heal, to clarify your purpose, to receive guidance in your life, and to become the most exquisite expression of yourself.  I’m always fascinated to learn the stories the lure people to connect with their creative spirit.   For Lille Diane it was a near fatal accident.

Sometimes the worst situation can bring out the best opportunity.

Lille Diane is an inspiration.  She has found an opportunity to discover herself and create herself as the woman she wants to be.

To listen to interview with Lille Diane CLICK HERE
To learn more about Lille Diane: www.woodstocklily.com

I met Soniei through the growing tribe of creative entrepreneurs who are sharing their unique talents through the on-line world.

Her art struck me with its clarity of design and Asian influenced brushwork.  Here are two of Soniei’s paintings….

The natural simplicity of her work drew me in but it was actually the professionalism and organization of her website that made me curious!

One of the greatest challenges (and opportunities) for an artist is to create a lifestyle where they can create the art they want and generate an income from it.

The moment an artist makes the decision to become a professional artist they are given the hat of business person.  Most artists reject the business hat and thus their career becomes stunted.

When I saw Soniei’s website I was impressed by how clearly she presented herself as a business, which is surprisingly rare.  During our interview I learned that Soniei’s journey as an artist and business woman are an ungoing evolution.

One of the highlights of her journey is the process of redefining success. As children we’re planted with ideas of what success looks like and should be.  Soniei has been peeling back the layers of this definition to uncover her own experience of success.

I’ve been thinking of my own personal definition of success ever since.

Soniei is someone who is willing to dive in wholeheartedly to what she believes in and make that her life’s work.  I am inspired by anyone who trusts their dream and allows their spirit to lead their life.

Here is Soniei working away on one of her paintings…

Get all the details of Soniei’s story and journey as an artist. It will really make you think about your own journey and the direction your spirit is guiding you to take.

To listen to my interview with Soniei CLICK HERE
To learn more about Soniei’s art, go to www.soniei.com

'Roy the Crocodile' Joan Krygsman

As soon as my eyes caught a glimpse of her work, I felt my inner child light up with delight. The colour, the simplicity, the personality of each creature spoke to me immediately.

I wanted to know who this artist was, and I wanted to know where these creatures where coming from?! So I set up an interview with Joan to pick her brain.

She revealed some surprising things during our talk.

I would never have guessed that Joan was blocked for 15 years, she didn’t create any art during that time. She was a perfectionist and the pressure to make perfect art had completely closed the doors to her creativity.

It wasn’t until her daughter was born that she felt the permission to let go of the need to be perfect and just PLAY!

It was her renewed sense of play that freed Joan from her artist block and unleashed the striped aardvark.

Now Joan is flowing with inspiration and the creatures are pouring out.

'Shlomo the Snail' by Joan Krygsman

After connecting with Joan, my inner child was almost jumping through the roof with excitement, she wanted to play too. So I sat down and created this quick sketch of a bird. This is inspired by the Striped Aardvark….

'Bird' marker sketch by Laura Hollick

My creative interlude with Joan reminded me of the importance to play. Creativity is something that flows when we let it, there is nothing like playtime to unleash the joy.

To learn more about Joan Krygsman’s Striped Aardvark designs check out www.stripedaardvark.com

Stephanie is a photographer, designer and photoshop artist. She is one of those rare birds who is able to spot the unseen beauty and transform it into a modern fairytale.

I first learned about her work a few years ago when she was voted Best Photographer in View Magazine.

I approached her and asked if she would be part of ‘The Photographer’s Series’, a series of interviews with select photographers from across Canada. The purpose of these interviews is to explore the vision, creative process and journey of each photographer. Part of my research involved being part of a creative photoshoot with each photographer.

For Stephanie’s shoot, she wanted to explore the idea of temptation. She used apples to reference the biblical story of Eve’s temptation, but she added her own Stephanie twist to it.

This piece is called ‘Temptation II’

During the photoshoot I learned a few things about Stephanie Bell….
1. She has birds flying around in her home.
2. She starts with a concept and let’s it grow as the ingredients come together.
3. She creates a team of support around her to help her realize her visions.
4. She is rather quiet during the creative process, but you can tell there is a lot going on inside.
5. Her post production work is labour intensive, she uses photoshop like a painting tool.

This is Stephanie Bell

To listen to the interview with Stephanie Bell CLICK HERE
To learn more about Stephanie’s work go to: www.emergingdesign.ca