
I found Andrea’s website, ABCcreativity when I was searching for art journaling inspiration. Little did I know all the wonderful things she shares on her site that would thrill me. She is a wonderful artist, who not only inspires, but invokes deeper thinking her guided meditations and prayer dolls. It is my pleasure to share this kindred spirit on the Art Slam.
Andrea, I love coming to your blog for all the creativity and inspiration you share. Can you tell me more about your prayer dolls? How did you come up with the concept for them?
the prayer dolls came from my desire to create some art that was positive and inspiring but not fluffy. i wanted to express the depth of the emotional connection and commitment to authenticity that i feel in living positively and purposefully.
with that as my intention, and having arranged an art show for this new work to give myself a solid deadline, i started playing and the little faces starting being born. magic and inspiration took over and it became pure joy and play, allowing the little beings to come to life.
that whole time i thought they were collage elements for larger pieces. but each time i tried to stick them onto a surface it felt wrong. finally i saw that they were complete as they were. so i hung colourful sparkly yarn in the art gallery, painted and glittered old wooden clothespins and used them to attach the dolls to it and had a fantastic show.
what surprised me most about the show is how many people said to me “they all look like you”. i really love my prayer dolls and how well they, and their messages, have been received in the world.
You have a section on your site with meditations. Are meditations something you do daily? How do they help you be your best creative self?
i do meditate on my own daily and also lead regular guided healing meditations at the centre for conscious living in winnipeg. my style of guided meditation is extremely positive and uplifting. the meditations take the meditator deep into themselves to find the magic, possibility and power that lives within them. they are sprinkled with positive affirmatives and reminders what we are unlimited beings. i love how meditation can bring us back to ourselves, remind of us our power and help us stay connected to that magic throughout the day.
meditation helps me be my best creative self by opening up the space for a deep connection with all aspects of my being. i believe that life, at its core, is creativity. and so meditation brings me in place of conscious connection to infinite flow, infinite creativity, infinite inspiration. i can see in a huge difference in my work, when i am creating from my ego-self as compared to when i am creating from my infinite-self. it feels differently, it flows differently and i believe that the audience can also tell that it looks and feels different to them, too. we just know when something is authentic and true because it resonates with our souls.
a huge aspect of this is being willing to dive into the mystery. when i am willing to not know, to not control how it looks – that’s when i make the best art.
Who or what inspires you and why?
i feel most inspired by my feelings, my dreams and life itself. for me, inspiration means “being in spirit” so it is my aim to live my life in inspiration.
What would be your ideal day? What do you see yourself doing or not doing?
this is something i have played and experimented with a lot in my life. what i have found is that my ideal life contains a certain balance of different kinds of days and ultimately what i need to be doing is checking in with my heart and finding out what best supports me in any given moment.
so my ideal life includes: structure, freedom, creative time, luxury, relaxation, travel, spiritual community, glitter makeup, abundance, connection, self care, adventure, long walks, love, daily spiritual practice and lots of play. i feel fairly balanced in these now but also always moving towards more of the things that fuel me. this is really key for me – i don’t think i could create the kind of art i create if i wasn’t living a life that felt true for me. it’s all connected.





















