Healing through color, bold expression, and nature’s embrace

Welcome to this edition of my newsletter at Swil Arts. I’m so glad you’re here, as we continue this heartfelt journey together – a journey where art, healing, and the beauty of connection become one.

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• Art In Progress: How a soulful Color Quest course helped me reconnect with painting after a painful loss.
• Creative Perspectives: Meet 3Fala, a daring Polish street artist whose work speaks volumes about community and change.
• Mindful Moments: Discover a simple practice of immersing yourself in nature – a gentle invitation to pause, breathe, and feel renewed.

Art In Progress

As you might know, the past months have been very difficult for me with my mom’s passing. I stopped painting and was having a hard time coming back to it. As her Christmas present, my mom had given me the Color Quest course by Make Art That Sells, so I decided to do it and it ended up being a blessing. The course ended up not just about creating new color palettes and using them in new pieces, but it became the perfect way to ease back into my art, since the daily exercises were fun and lighthearted. Taking on this course felt like her embrace, a soft reminder that creativity can flow (and help us!) even at times of grief and overwhelm.

Creative Perspectives

When I was recently in Poland, staying with my family after my mom passed, I found myself wandering the streets of Warsaw – my hometown – and something caught my eye. I noticed the bold murals of 3Fala on many walls, and it felt like each piece was speaking directly to my heart. His work captures the raw energy of urban life and tells stories of community, resistance, and transformation; it’s striking street art. Every wall seems to hold a piece of our shared history, evolving from its raw, confrontational origins to a vibrant public dialogue today. Exploring his art I found a way to reconnect with my roots and found inspiration even in moments of loss. I invite you to explore 3Fala’s work on his website or Facebook page – I think you’ll find this creative vision as inspiring as I do.

Mindful Moments

Lately, I've been really focused on nurturing my nervous system – it’s become a personal priority for me and it’s helped me a lot in these past hard months. My spouse and I recently arrived in Villeta, Colombia, and let me tell you, being surrounded by that lush, green calm has been a real gift. It’s one of those moments when you just feel it – the gentle peace that comes from nature.

In this 20-minute episode from the Plenty podcast by Kate Northrup she walks you through her daily routines that help build a resilient nervous system – starting the day with morning sunlight, enjoying balanced meals, and staying grounded with mindful movement. All of which I am enjoying while in Villeta. Kate’s words about the value of a regular practice really struck a chord with me: “We’re not starting at zero when it comes to our nervous system. Your level of nervous system health compounds.”

I invite you to take a little time for yourself – listen to this podcast, step outside, and soak in some nature. It might just be the simple practice you need to feel more balanced and inspired.

Thank You for Being Here

I’m grateful for our connection and for the shared space where we can heal, create, and grow together. If you’d like to see more of my work or catch up on new projects, follow me on Instagram.