Do you see yourself as an art lover?
An art collector?
Or art-enthusiast? 

I used to think I wasn't an " art-person" because art did not really seem to interest me. Where some people are swept away by the artworks of Van Gogh or Dali, I could only think: Yeah, looks really...nice? 

(Like the flower painting below)

And knowledge about art history? I probably forgot if I had any! Maybe I haven't found the right teachers but so far art history has been as boring to me as..well..anything that is so boring that it puts you to sleep. It never made me feel any passion inside my veins.

I guess I am totally giving away my culture barbaric nature here. But it's true. Most often those kinds of painters and their works don't stir up any emotions inside of me. (Whoops, can't help it.)

Subconsciously this made me a little insecure and played a role in why I never pursued art. I felt as if artists are people who would have very deep thoughts and feelings about these things. And since I hadn't, I also felt I couldn't really be an artist. 

I never thought long and hard about it, but it was a belief I had picked up somewhere along the way. And beliefs make us think and act in a way that may limit us, where there should'nt be any limits.

Before I created my own art, even before the spiritual experience that started it all, I used to look for beautiful images of paintings on Pinterest just for fun and pinned boards full of them that did strike a chord in me. I wasn't really aware of it then, but what was happening was that I was finding the art that I loved. 

(a screenshot of some of the pins on my business Pinterest) 

And those fuzzy "Oooooh"-feelings I had, whenever I found an image that was worthy to put on one of my Pinterest boards, those were probably the same feelings others have when they look at works from the great masters (like Van Gogh). 

I never put 2 and 2 together. I was uneducated and under developed in art and in reckognizing emotions, and in how art and emotions are related. But nonetheless I was deeply appreciating the art that my soul connected to. Not in a museum or fancy art gallery, but in the comfort of my own home, scrolling through Pinterest on my phone.

Very modern. 
Very two-thousand-something.

And of course, this is nothing compared to looking at art in real life (something I learned later on). But it helped me to realize which art was "me". 

Because those Pinterest boards were filling up with paintings with gorgeous bold colors. And many were of female figurative portraits. And thus I began to see a pattern. I never in a million years thought I could ever paint like that, but I appreciated it with heart and soul. And I learned I loved portraits and rich colors.

And if I would have had the funds I probably would have shopped my butt off, and I would have filled my home with all those stunning fantastic images. Because Pinterest and Instagram are the place to be for those kind of shopping sprees. Art is very accessible these days.

When I started making my own art, having made those boards came in handy, because I already knew what I liked. Without me realizing I had done tons of forework. I knew in what direction I wanted to go myself, which turned out to be a very valuable starting point.

Now that I am a few years into my journey I realize I AM an art lover. Even before I knew it. I love art deeply. But I am a more modern art kinda girl. Maybe even a more modern-girly-in-touch-with-her-inner-child kind of art.

You won't see me staring at vague abstract pieces, whispering how I "get it", at museums. I do love myself some abstract, but the kind that - in my eyes - truly speak. Statement pieces. With symphonies of colors, that's when I get it. The kind that makes me want to shout it from the rooftops: Wow!!

And again, I haven't really found old masters that move the energy inside me. Other than Matisse, but that probably doesn't count. (I was told he was figurativly burned to the ground for using bold colors - So that's probably why I connect with his work.)

(My favorite Matisse portrait "Woman with the hat" 1905 - which critics called infantile and madness because of use of the wild colors and disjointed brushwork.)

So now I am coming to terms with that: I am an artist and I don't feel connected with what some people would see as 'real art'. I am okay with that. I am in acceptance of me and who I truly am in art, in this moment (I figure it could change over time). 

Even if art historians, art critics, gallery owners, museum goers and all their following would dissaprove. Get out of my head! I don't need your permission to be me. And just like that, I became an artist, embodying her most authentic self. (Matisse would be proud of me, I think)

So, how about you?
Do you love the work of the old masters?

Or are you more into the modern girly kind of art?
Did you know you have a passion for art?

Tell me about it, I would love to know!

Much love,

Denise

I contemplated for a long time whether I wanted to share how I got started with my art journey in 2023. I had a spiritual experience, and I did not want to put myself in the woo-woo corner if it wasn't necessary. I already felt like an odd one most of the time. Causing myself to not fit in even more was not on my wishlist. 

Nobody would notice if I didn't tell, so it was no problem to keep that information to myself. I figured it would not help me in my journey, so the safest option was to tuck this away as a secret of my own. Like a rare diamond safely kept in a hidden vault. 

When this "secret" spiritual experience happened—and spoiler alert: I am going to reveal it in this post—I did not know I was going on an art journey. And I did not know I was going on a healing journey. And I definitely didn't know that these were very interconnected. 

The reason I am telling you this is that the healing journey revealed to me that I had lost my identity. That I wasn't truly authentic. And that I had a fear of being seen (and heard).
What does that have to do with art, you think? Everything! 

Art IS about identity, about being authentic. And if you want to share it with the world, the fear of being seen can get in the way. Even if you would not share your face anywhere. Because the art itself is a reflection of you. And therefore it can feel very scary to share it. Something a lot of artists struggle with. 

All this is a topic for another blog. What I am trying to say here is that I realized along the way that making art, and sharing my art with the world, is all about being real and authentic. And therefore my spiritual side, including my spiritual experience, cannot possibly stay tucked away in a hidden vault in my mind. 

So, hereby, I decide that I will not be ashamed of it. I will not hide a piece of myself or my story in hopes of fitting in with the crowd. Actually, I hereby decide that I will be unapologetically me, regardless of what people think of me. Just to break loose of that trap—and who knows, I might bump into my true tribe along the way. 

Okay, with that out of the way, here it goes:
It was August 2022, and I was praying. I don't remember about what—maybe I wrote it down somewhere. I will add it here if I find it. And then… out of the blue… with my eyes closed, I saw images of blurry, colorful paintings. They were moving before my mind’s eye, like a carousel. I could only see color, but not details. 

When it had ended, I thought: what in the world just happened?!! 

I was literally shook for a moment, trying to grasp the experience and its meaning. My first thought was: was this an inner vision?
I had heard about it but never experienced it. And I never knew anybody who did. So it wasn't really something that had been on my radar. Therefore, I went to Google to see what people said an inner vision was.

I was even more shook when I saw it being described exactly as I had just experienced it!
So now what? I was really puzzled because it did not come with any instructions or explanation. What did it mean?

Did it mean I would get the talent to paint? Because I was convinced I couldn’t. Not really. I had tried several times, and it wasn't really good in my opinion.

Did it mean an art career would fall out of the sky and I would become rich and famous?

Also, I have to tell you—my mind at that time was more focused on doom and gloom since we were fresh out of the pandemic and fully in the energy crisis. We were financially struggling, and I was anticipating worse. So exploring art—or even an art career—was 180 degrees in the opposite direction, and with my mind in survival mode, this sounded absolutely ludicrous to me.

I really didn't know what it meant. And for the first few months, I just waited. For what, I didn't know. I guess for further instructions. I also convinced myself that it would be better to not paint to make the vision come true. Somehow that felt like cheating. In hindsight, I really question why I thought this.

Apparently, I was waiting for golden fingers that would paint masterpieces in my sleep and a written-out plan to come to me in my dreams that would tell me exactly what steps to take.

News flash: this didn't happen. After several months, I kinda figured this out, lol. So by spring of 2023, I began to draw and paint just to see what would happen. No masterpieces yet—far from it. (See image below - the painting peeking in the background is more recent)

But something in me told me to keep going. I had no budget to take art classes, so I went by YouTube tutorials, Skillshare classes for a little while (highly recommended!), and Milan Art Institute came on my path, from whom I learned a lot just by their free content on YouTube and a few of their masterclasses that I bought.

Looking back, I would say I don't think the inner vision gave me some special talent. What it did give me was a clear sign in the direction my heart had always secretly wanted to follow. I think I needed some divine intervention to show me that it was possible. That I wasn't born with some exceptional talent, but that learning skills was the way.

Now that I am writing this, it is August 2025—three years after the inner vision. I love the paintings that I make, and I recognize that I still have a lot to learn, but it is a journey. It is a journey of learning skills, of discovering who I am, what I like (colors, shapes, materials, etc.). It's also a journey back to myself, the inner child that created without limiting beliefs, before I started to believe I did not have talent.

(Picture of a painting that I make a few months ago)

And all of this has made me passionate about sharing my art and my journey with the world, from beginning to end, woo-woo or not, in all its authenticity, vulnerability, and power.

To inspire you to go after your deepest dreams and desires—whether it be in art or not. It's not always about talent, but about skills, about believing in yourself and the path before you, and about deciding who you want to be.

I believe this is the path we all should go, before we get trapped in worries and the life we build around them. Some might need an inner vision to step onto that path, but really it all comes down to just making that decision: to step into your purpose, even if the rest of the path is unclear. I promise, it will be worth it!

Much love,

Denise

Something was locked away deeply inside of me. It was buried under layers of insecurity, validation-seeking, and the belief that I had no talent. 

I thought talent was something you had to be born with to be an artist. So, for 40 years, I only saw myself as “a creative.” I was always making things—repurposing, crafting, creating from existing materials. But I never truly felt like I was able to CREATE—to bring something into the world from nothing.

I admired that in others. So many times I said out loud: “Oh, how I wish I could paint like that. It seems so freeing.” And every time that longing to paint bubbled up inside me… I'd try. I'd draw or paint. And every single time, I was left with disappointment.

 

The inner critic always chimed in: “You're not an artist. You never will be.” So art never even felt like a dream I could consider seriously. At most, I thought maybe I could improve my drawing skills enough to make stickers someday. That was the extent of what I dared to hope for.

And deep down, I feared people would think I was copying others with wanting to paint—especially people in my life who were already talented and going the art route.

One of them even left me for art—quite literally. For years, I couldn’t even stand the word art. It became a deep trauma. And so, I couldn’t connect to my own desire to create, because it was buried beneath a mountain of emotional debris.

But how about you, my friend? What does art mean to you? Does it stir something inside you— a feeling nothing else can quite touch? Or does it expose a deep longing, buried under reasons why you shouldn’t or couldn’t follow it?

Maybe, just maybe, you're not the only one who’s been told you're not talented enough. Maybe, like me, you’ve believed it. But here's the truth: Art isn’t about talent. It’s about feeling. It’s about expression, discovery, healing, and truth. Art is a journey. And if you let it, it will lead you back to yourself.

Whether you’re here because you want to collect beautiful art... Or because you secretly long to make your own... I invite you to walk this path with me. Let art move you. Let it speak to something deep inside. Because it’s never too late to begin.

And maybe—just maybe—that painting you love so much is really a mirror... Reflecting the creative soul in you.

This is your permission to try.
To explore.
To remember.
To heal through color, brushstroke, and heart.

And maybe one day soon… you’ll stop wishing you could paint, because you’ll be holding your own masterpiece in your hands.