Creative Spotlight: Anastasia Parmson

December 10, 2014 Nichole McVeigh

Embody Your Muse - Anastasia Parmson - Maiken Staak

I was lucky to meet Anastasia Parmson through a business mastermind, and was immediately drawn to both her and her work. She has such a bright personality, and it is definitely mirrored in her work. Having worked in some form of art since childhood, Anastasia realized in adult years that she absolutely loved travel, and her art was suffering because of the time put into travel. She knew she needed to make art again as well, and decided to make art based on her travels. I love that she is intentional in this way about her work.

I am personally grateful that Anastasia has inspired me to see everything as travel, whether it be travel to another country or county. She believes that what might not feel necessarily like travel for one person, is most definitely for another, and I've carried that belief with me since meeting her. A local river may be my "normal," but someone from Fiji may never see it. I travel constantly, and appreciate it in a different way than before. Anastasia started #ThinkLikeATraveler on Instagram - I hope you'll check it out!

Creative Spotlight: Jane Sullivan

November 19, 2014 Nichole McVeigh

Jane Sullivan's work was brought to my attention recently by a friend of mine (Patti Mann, who will be featured on Embody Your Muse in the next few months). Since I am in love with France, Jane was of immediate interest to me. Once I saw her work, though, I was so intrigued. Her Fairies are especially soulful, and her work as a whole is full of intricacy and vibrant colour.

Jane's first art teacher was her mother, and she moved on to study as an adult in the States and Ireland. Not only is Jane a visual artist; she plays harp as well, and has studied in the States, Ireland, and France! She now resides in France, and teaches classes in every genre of the art she produces. As you will see, spirituality is of great importance to Jane, and her life revolves around it. Jane is such a joy, and I'm happy to introduce her work to you.

Creative Spotlight: Charity Daw

November 12, 2014 Nichole McVeigh

Charity Daw's work was introduced to me by a friend of mine who was just recently featured - Alicia Maynard! I was instantly in love with Charity's feather crown (first photo below), and knew I had to delve further into her work. As you will see, she is incredibly creative, and mixes mediums with ease.

Charity made her first hat while pursuing song writing in Nashville not so long ago, and and the art of hat making clearly took off for her. She moved to L.A. in 2011, and has been able to exercise her passions - hat making and writing - daily. Charity illustrated the book "Up Down the Front Back Door", a children's book, which was published in December of 2013. As you will see in this interview, she paints as well! Artists that work with multiple mediums sure inspire me...

Creative Spotlight: Alena Hennessy

October 8, 2014 Nichole McVeigh

I met Alena Hennessy through her book first, Cultivating Your Creative Life, and more recently in person at The Strawberry Patch Summer Mart in Nashville, TN. She is a lovely artist, author, “facilitator of self-love and magic," and holds workshops and online courses where she really encourages people to develop and strengthen their own personal aesthetic.

Alena's art is full of whimsy, and her use of colour makes her pieces just dance. She is more recently offering an interesting project called Co-Lab: Paint, Paper, and iPhoneography Magic. From her website: "This is a brand new online class created by myself and the brilliant Susan Tuttle, where we bring the world of paint, paper, and photo (plus so much more) together in one brilliant virtual experience!" I am so happy to introduce you to Alena!

Creative Spotlight: Lisa Congdon

September 24, 2014 Nichole McVeigh

I have followed San Francisco artist, Lisa Congdon, for some time now, and am always captivated by her use of colour and patterns. She has a style that definitely sets her apart from other artists.

Along with recently authoring “Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist”, Lisa is partnering with CreativeLive September 30 - October 1 to teach "Becoming A Working Artist". The class is free to watch while it's live, and you have the option to purchase it for $79 throughout the class to have on-demand access to it any time. What an opportunity!