MY HEART LANGUAGE...

Visual storytelling is my heart language, and I’ve been learning, nurturing and refining my expression of it for over twenty-five years. I love expressing my life experiences, world events and ideas in unique ways. I find pathways to worlds of wonder we only dare dream about, and weave those dreams into our everyday reality.  I am often told I change people’s lives through my storytelling. When I write or share a story, my aim is for my audience to listen with their whole bodies. I want to ignite the fires in our hearts, connect us to our intuition and open to a world where we live and thrive within our creative genius.

I want to be able to continue expanding this energy I have out into the world. Most people don’t realize how much time and energy goes into creating work of this nature. Over the past few months I’ve been working intently to find a way to be able to recover the sense of freedom I need to be able to create, that fits with my integrity and ethos. My mantra this year has been “no matter what, I will find another way”… I've needed to dissolve one of the biggest blocks I've had in order to make this happen, but I've done it, I have found another way...

I’d like to welcome you to my new hub on Patreon!

Patreon is a wonderful way for you to support content that you love on a monthly basis. Taking its name and inspiration from the word “patron” which means to support, invest, back: it’s a membership platform that makes it easy for supporters to invest within their budget for content they love, and for the creators of the content to get paid. By joining me at Patreon, you will gain access to exclusive content. And through this exchange,  I will be able to continue creating what you love and sharing it with the world.

I am not interested in acquiring and accumulating. I am interested in Creating, Collaborating, and Contributing. My strengths are my creative ideas, visualization & my ability to focus and see these ideas through. My strengths are also my capacity for sharing, for creating authentic connection, and in opening space for communication and expansion in a big way. 

I have so much more to talk about! Including books that I'm working on, which I'll be sharing the details of progress in my patron posts. For now though, I'd love you to take a moment to have a look at my page, understand how it works, and if you've been a fan of my work over the years; if you feel my work is a breath of fresh, honest, pure air; if you see the value in what I create and you want to see me continue creating, then please consider joining me there. I know this is the way forward for me, and I want to be able to make and connect the only way I know how: with all my heart. 

With Love, 

Pia xx

LET'S BEAM...

On Monday, I posted the above photo you see here in the frame on my studio shelf on instagram, with the message "we are human beams" written over it, creating the hashtag #wearehumanbeams. In the week leading up to posting this photograph, I was feeling these words resonate strongly through me. As I felt the powerful energy and importance of the meaning of these words, this moment I captured in this photograph came to mind. It was almost exactly 3 years ago. My Mum had just passed away, and I had taken Laly to my parents to assist my Dad with household changes. Perhaps we were staying there, I can't remember the details of that time, I just remember the intensity, the fatigue and how surreal it felt, like I was walking between worlds. I spent quite some time looking for this image in my archives, wondering if it was how I remembered it and my heart felt expansive when I found it: seeing the beauty and awe of that moment. When I took this photo, through the tidal wave of grief, I remember how it pulled me up to the surface - to the present - as I stood captivated by how my daughter's human form connected & communicated so wondrously with the sun, the sea and the sand. It felt like I'd witnessed a moment of real-life magic. I could see the sunlight radiate through her skin and her inner glow play with this light, encouraging it, nurturing it. There she stood before me as a human BEAM. 

This is what I saw, and this is what I posted.

However within a few minutes of posting it, I had someone I'd not heard from before called Vivienne comment something along the lines of "I wish you'd be more circumspect when choosing photos of Laly, this is inappropriate". It pissed me off, I admit, but I took a moment to reflect on her comment and try to see things from her perspective. I wrote a reply along the lines of, "I was absolutely circumspect when choosing to post this image. I understand some people see things differently, I respect that". I got the impression that she too respected that and I thought we had resolved our differences. But when I awoke the next morning, my photograph had been removed by instagram, along with all the comments - most of which I had not read because I was asleep - and I was and still am locked out from using the hashtag  I created #wearehumanbeams. 

That got me really pissed off. 

Then I sat with my feelings. And so much came up...

Feeling shamed, feeling like someone told me I was a bad parent, feeling like I'd been disciplined for something wrong that I didn't do, feeling like I wasn't good enough, feeling like I hadn't understood something, feeling confused, feeling violated, feeling misunderstood. 

How often had I been misunderstood in my early life? I think that's why I have spent all these years strengthening my ability to communicate clearly, to ensure that if there is a misunderstanding, I know that I've done everything in my power to communicate clearly.

Anyway after the anger began to dissolve, I felt the powerful energy of the experience sink in.  "Sure", I thought, "I get it".  I can see life from other perspectives -  again, it's something I have found as an important attribute to work on in life - and I'm all for safety, and I'm absolutely all for keeping our children safe. 

But this? So much strength came forth after the anger released. I realised that this behaviour, these emotional reactions from people, these restrictions from companies like instagram are EXACTLY why there are so many incredible souls too  scared to be themselves, to let their creativity shine, to lead a  creative, heart-centered  life. 

"Why can't you see what I see?" I wondered. It was really perplexing, I struggled to understand what was happening. But that's when it hit me like a brick: they aren't connected to their centre.

For me, I chose to post this photograph because of the art. For me, and so many of us I know, we are seeing the art, the beauty. But others simply can't see this - all they can see is a photo of a nude child. And that brings up all sorts of deeply disturbing emotions for them. Feelings they are too scared to feel, too scared to allow come up to the surface. They can't connect to their hearts, it's just too confronting. 

I know there are deeply damaged souls out there. And I understand that the people who report photographs like mine think they are doing good, that they are protecting me and/or my child. I understand they think they know something that I don't know. That I am naïve and vulnerable, and that they know better. But I know that removing this type of photograph - of which I was very discriminating in selecting to communicate the concept of being a human beam -  will NOT stop damaged souls from feeding their addictions. What this action does is even more damaging: It stops authenticity, art, talent and beauty from shining in an increasingly dark world. This action and the actions of these major communication companies are feeding the fear in the world - fear of seeing & experiencing life differently, of not conforming, of not standing out from the crowd. This behaviour stifles freedom and disconnects us from our heart centres. 

What do you see? This is how I came to write My Heart Wanders in the first place:

What you see is a reflection of what you feel inside. And people would rather stop something like my photograph from being published than deal with the emotions that arise from what they see.

It's what you feel that matters. It's what this image brings up in you. It's not what I don't see, it's what you see and how that makes you feel. That's the purpose of ART:  it evokes our feelings, particularly those feelings that are trapped and stuck.

This is why I am so passionate about the importance of tapping into your creativity, because if we don't, we will become stuck like this: we will only be able to see things from the darkness, from the fear. We will rationalise our limited viewpoint as 'logical', 'reasonable', 'sensible', 'practical', 'truthful'. But that's not heart speak. Humans are not meant to only think with our brains. That would make us computers. We are also meant to feel, express, radiate from our heart centres...

We are human beams: We are light - traveling under the ocean,  above in the ether, and right here on earth for our lifetime. Every new idea we form is light. Close your eyes and imagine the the world at night, look how it lights up with the light we have created. We are drawn to light. Because we are light. And what we project is also what will be reflected back to us. 

So ANYWAY, in response to the removal of my photograph, I have made this...

Because I won't allow anyone to take my art away. Instead, I'm going to beam my light BRIGHTER. My child is art, I am art, what I express is art.

And it got me thinking: How would you, my fellow creative souls, express the idea that we are human beams? I want to see your interpretation - I want us to make this art. 

And since I am no longer able to post using the hashtag #wearehumanbeams, it doesn't stop you from using it! 

So I got an idea - a beam of light: How about we come together as a mass creative collaboration and use this hashtag to create a body of incredible work, that showcases in each of our unique ways, how we would express that WE ARE HUMAN BEAMS. And to get you inspired and focussed, I'll choose someone to receive a 3-hour creative mentoring package from me, no matter where you are in the world.

If we can create an incredible body of work for #wearehumanbeams, if this becomes big, we can turn it into a book! Let's rock this place up!!  Vivent les artistes! 

So in my usual fashion, I don't have deadlines and limitations on this for now - I will give it the freedom to expand - that's always the BEST place to start. And the only way this can happen is through YOU. For now I feel if we use the hashtag on insta #wearehumanbeams , spread the word - you can repost my new piece above "we are human beams" - and tag people in the post I write on insta, then you're in the collaboration. Even if you don't want to make something for it, let others know who you know would love to. Then, when you post your work for "we are human beams", hashtag it so others can see and follow your work, and tag me in it so I can see you want to be in the running to receive the mentoring package. 

Note: there are no limitations on how many works you submit. You can use any form of art - whatever your heart is drawn to. The idea is to ignite your creative spirit. Kindred spirit & fellow artist Midnight Blue already posted a wonderful video she made in support, take a look at the hashtag #wearehumanbeams on insta to see it! It will get you inspired! I don't know if, when I post this on insta, my hashtag will work so I will need to rely on you guys to repost it there for everyone, so they can see it in the hashtag and understand the project. 

Let's be human beams. Let's make the light shine bright. 

Fuck, I'm excited about this. 

xx

Parenting from the Heart...

Last week on instagram, you may recall I wrote a raw & honest post about my experience of becoming a mother. It stirred up so much conversation about our individual experiences of parenting and the impact it has made on us, the many incredible comments were messages straight to my heart...

...click here to read the full post and beautiful comments. 

My friend Shona who has spent over 20 years as a youth worker & is a mum to two wonderful young men, was moved to action by the post (her inner fire was ignited!) and asked me if I’d consider inviting you to an evening discussion/workshop that her & I would co-host together. One of the things that struck me, after a number of conversations between us this past week while sharing our ideas and intentions for such an event, was when Shona told me this:

“My parents were the only people I ever heard say that they loved teenagers. They looked forward to us being teenagers. I had never heard that before from anyone! Most parents lamented the coming of the teenage years, feeling an ever-growing dread at the thought of what was to come and worse openly communicating that in front of their children."

Absolutely! I thought, I know my parents were those that probably dreaded it and certainly didn't talk about it afterwards with joy & lightness! And I know many of my friends today look at their teenage years as though they were horrible to their parents, and so dread their own children becoming teenagers. Shona continued...

"The sense of acceptance that I felt when I heard my parents say they loved teenagers was very powerful. It took away the power of the teenage rebellion. I’m not saying that it was all unicorns and rainbows but it was as smooth a transition for everyone in the family as any I had ever seen. And now having raised my own two teenage boys, I see, from first hand experience, the wisdom of their words.”

After I heard her say that, I was IN! And now we are super excited to let you know the details. It will be a casual & intimate evening 7:30-9:30pm on Tuesday March 20 at Shona’s beautiful home here in Rozelle, Sydney, where we will discuss a number of parenting topics close to our hearts, and problem solve with Shona’s guidance. This event is for parents of small children to teenagers. I’ll be the voice of our emotions (you know it!), and Shona will share the tools we can use to work through our challenges. You’ll leave feeling inspired & empowered as both a parent and person. 

Parenting from the Heart: A Path of fun, growth and LOVE...

All the info is up on my website now, here is the link.  There will be champagne and beautiful French cheeses of course (no event I host is complete without them!) It’s limited numbers as we want to keep the event intimate so if this is something you’d love to come along to, place your booking and we will email you with more details! I hope you can come along, it’s going to be a wonderful and life-enriching evening. Xx

We are human beams...

So here's the thing. 

Over the last seven months, I've been disassembling personal obstacles like there is no tomorrow.  So much has come to the surface for me over this time, huge emotional hurdles that I had NO idea were there. In this time I've learnt things about myself, things that I thought I'd let go of long long ago but instead they'd been very well hidden and remained embedded within.  Turns out I'd built incredibly elaborate cave-like structures to keep them out of everyday sight. Caves that, over time, became well obscured by thick tangled vines.  As I was contentedly walking along my jungle path, I began to notice these thick vines that seemed to grow more dense as I wandered on.  I didn't order this! I said to my heart. I cut them back but they grew thicker the more I walked on. Heart, I called out, WT-EFF,  this isn't right! Is this my path? It must be someone else's. What is this bullshit, am I lost? I don't want to be here anymore! 

Me, climbing a ginormous rock on the edge of the Hawkesbury River, photo by Elemental Explorer & creative collaborator Midnight Blue, January 2018. 

The more I stalked on, pushing through and slashing through the vines, the more tired I became. Everything in my life felt like it was falling apart. I felt overwhelmed, I couldn't breathe. My inner warrior was losing all its strength. 

Finally with shoulders slumped, I dropped down, feeling utterly defeated.

What's the difference between defeat and surrender? I wondered. What's the difference between surrender and acceptance? I pondered. I had no energy left to do anything but sit and look around. 

 And that's when I noticed the caves. 

They were beautiful spaces - but of course, I'd make them so! Which made me laugh at myself. Because now I've learnt creating such visual wonder can be a great way of masking one's truth.

As I regained my energy bit by bit, one by one I entered each cave. I looked at what I'd kept hidden all these years. It's unbelievable fascinating, to say the very least. And I feel ready to share my findings. 

I know many of us are in this collectively - we may not share the same history or experiences, but we share a heart journey, and what I feel and am able to express is a light beam you can count on to help see your way ahead. 

I'm going to share my findings in lots of different ways in coming days and months - in my new work, in journal posts here, on instagram and in instagram stories (yes, I've broken through my mental block on talking to camera and I'M DOIN' IT! I may be a quiet voice among the booming ones but I'm not going to let that stop me from using what I have). 

And I've been quietly working on my website this year - it's always been such a strong expression of my creativity over the years and it's exciting to be able to direct these new findings into my offerings already. 

I'm super excited to let you know I have re-structured my consultation and mentoring packages so there are options for everyone. I don't want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to follow their heart, it's the core of everything. It's our magic and when we let it out, we become human beams. 

In other news, I'll be announcing two awesome collaborations! Like a child, I am jumping up and down with joy and anticipation, I want to burst out with all of it now. 

Another change to my online presence is the newsletter - I'm ditching it, it was just not the right medium for me so instead, I'll be writing here in my journal, and those of you signed up via email will receive this straight to your inbox. It will mean you will hear from me more openly, with no newsletter marketing & salesy prompting. I'll just blab it all out here and you can wander through my website at your own heart's desire. There's lots to peruse now, like my old (blog)house (remember that?!!)... except now, it's a boat. And I'm ready to drop anchor.

photo by Elemental Explorer & creative collaborator Midnight Blue, January 2018. 

With so much love, 

Pia xx

We are all made of stardust...

Stardust print installation, currently in my studio

Having a studio has given me the space- physically and mentally - to embark on something I've been holding back from doing for, well, since I completed my arts degree at Uni some 19 years ago! While I was at COFA, I spent many hours in the dark room printing my photographs. I loved it. Every step of the process (minus the intensity of the chemicals) was a joy for me, I absolutely loved the alchemy of it. And to see the finished print was always exciting, it fuelled my creative fire.  Throughout my last two years of high school and into my Uni days, in those 5 years I spent most of my free time between classes in either the dark room or the library.

But since the onset of digital photography - which I have fully embraced in the most analogue way possible!  - I lost something of my work that I hadn't realised until now.  That is, the beauty and wonder of experiencing my photography in full colour and off the screen...

Stardust photographic print, limited edition, 11 x 14 inches

While visiting the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane a few weekends ago, I came across a room that reignited that lost part of me. It was filled with Australian artists I had studied all those years ago, intently, in books and galleries. As I roamed the room, little sparks lit in me with each work. I moved from Arthur Boyd, to Sydney Long, Rosalie Gasgoigne, and John Olsen. Every one of them had been an influence and inspiration in my years of intense study and making. Then I saw a piece that made my heart skip a beat, and took me to a long lost memory. It was a photograph called groundspeed (rose petal) by renown contemporary Australian photographer Rosemary Laing. In that moment of staring into her carpeted forest, I remembered how huge a role she played in my photography. She was one of my teachers while at the College of Fine Arts, and taught me everything I know about photography, both digital and analogue. And she was one of the best teachers I ever had. I remember how much she'd engage with each of us while we learnt the ropes of Photoshop. She was patient, kind, passionate and enthusiastic. She also gave me my best marks, which compelled me to learn more about my style, my motivation, my goals. While I looked at groundspeed (rose petal) and got lost in those memories, I felt a wave of gratitude and realised how lucky I was to have such a great teacher.

It also cemented in me how powerful it is to put your work out there, to move through those emotional blocks that stop so many of us from creating what we know we are meant to, and how important it is to have those influences in our lives - and why I love being able to be that person, that mentor, to artists around the world now. By making our work, by supporting each other and investing in each other's work, it's how we will thrive.

So it's with absolute delight that, having found the best pro printing lab in the city, I offer one of my most popular photographs Stardust as the first photograph released as a limited edition print on archival rag paper. This photograph is featured in my Festive ebook . As with all my books, I love creating visual stories throughout to capture your imagination and connect with your heart.  This photograph was created inspired by my work in redefining this intense time of year, by exploring the alchemy in each of us: The wonder that we are all made from stardust...

"Every element of the universe is made from stars, including us. As beings, each element within us was birthed in stars, the very stars that twinkle above us in the night sky and around the Earth. As humans both ancient and existing, we have held an everlasting fascination for stars, and knowing that we are made from stardust only enriches the allure and magic of the exploration of those tiny intergalactic sparkles that light up the deep indigo sky we look to each evening before we sleep."
Excerpt from The Everyday Alchemy eBook, Festive Edition. 

Each Stardust print is hand numbered, dated and signed by me. There are two sizes available, worldwide shipping is available (with free worldwide shipping for the next two weeks  - promo code in the info) all the details are available here.  When I say limited edition I mean LIMITED EDITION. Only a very small number will be printed. 

Thank you to everyone in my life who has encouraged me to print my work over the years. I finally got there! It took a while but the wait, I hope, will have been worth it. 

Vivent les artistes. 

xx

Laly sings Liferaft, written by Sydnee Carter...

The other day on instagram I posted a snippet of the lullaby Laly sung to me the other night. I asked her if I could record it on my phone to share with you and she said yes. So I took a video of it in the dark, and Romain extracted the sound so I could share it with you here. 

This is a song I've been singing to her for the past few months. Every year or so I learn a few new songs to sing to her at night. I rarely sing traditional lullabies, instead I've chosen songs that I absolutely love - songs that have beautiful messages she can carry with her throughout her life. When I was pregnant with her 6 years ago, I learnt the words to these songs and sung them to her when I was relaxing in the bath, the heaviness of my body relieved in the gentle water; and kept singing them to her at night all these years. At bedtime, she chooses one or two songs for me to sing, but lately she's been wanting to sing them herself. 

The song list that has remained  strong for the past 5 years has been as follows...

Birds by Emiliana Torrini
Sunny Road by Emiliana Torrini
The Sweetest Gift by Sade (which we call "The Moon Song")
Dreaming My Dreams by The Cranberries (which we call "The Dream Song")
Angel Standing By by Jewel (which we call "The Angel Song")

And in between those I've made up a few of my own that she chooses ("Silver Star", for example, and a song called "Slaapa Slu" which my Mum used to sing), as well as some French ones (including "Dodo, l'enfant Do"). 

This one is a new one we've added called Liferaft, by young Australian singer & songwriter Sydnee Carter. I hope you enjoy Laly's version (lyrics below)...

Pick me up,
hold me in.
I am broken,
I'm nothing.
I am weak,
not strong like you
still need your hand
to make it through.
Oh darling, can't you see?
You're the lock
and I'm the key
and in the dark
when I am blind
you'ld be the like {we sing: You'll be the light}
I will find. 
And for you I would be
the life raft in the sea.
And for you i would be
the life raft in the sea.

Pick you up,
hold you in.
If you're broken,
let i begin. {we sing: Then I'll begin)
You're not weak,
you are strong.
Just take my hand,
and hear my song
you'ld be the like {we sing: You'll be the light}
I will find. 
And for you I would be
the life raft in the sea.
And for you i would be
the life raft in the sea.

xx

PS and here is Sydney Carter singing it herself, so beautiful. 

My Artist's Retreat in the making, ready to take bookings...

...my artist's impression of of my artist's hideaway in Balmain.  

For those who follow me on instagram, you'd know that a few weeks ago I embarked on a new, wonderful adventure, sharing with you a bare space in the midst of being transformed into my artist's retreat. It's a one bedroom apartment in the heart of Balmain: a minute walk to the ferry to get into the city, and a minute to Darling St, the main shopping street.

It's something I wasn't planning to do at all, but as happens with following my heart, things don't make sense in the moment, but I now see it was leading to this sweet abode all the while...

I had been looking at artist studio spaces over the last couple of years- spaces that were part of large artist communities, and as much as I loved the idea of sharing an artists space and being among other artists, it never felt right for me - I couldn't imagine myself in any of the spaces, no matter how much I loved them or the artists I'd be working alongside. 

Then, just out of the blue, with no clear reasoning whatsoever, I got a feeling to look at some one bedroom apartments in the area. I looked at three, and this one - this one, had it.  Housed in a humble 1980's white brick building, tucked away from the street, with a tiny galley kitchen and bathroom off the bedroom tiled in slate, it simply sang to me. The energy of the space is beautiful and serene and so open to creative flow. I felt the magic of it coarse through my veins and couldn't stop feeling all it will be - to me, to my work, to my new mentoring clients and their work.

So over the past couple of weeks, I've been hanging out there when I can, spending time listening, observing, and feeling, letting the ideas flow, and in the next couple of weeks I'll be shaping it into a fully immersive, multi-disciplined creative space...

Two ESSENTIALS that I had to claim for the new space from Drunk on the Moon, my go-to vintage treasure stop in Newtown: an artist's stool and an anchor. The significance of the anchor will be explained in time :)

Gathering flora (and weeds!) from around the neighbourhood, as I get to know the surrounds and bring nature in to inspire... 

The space in its beginning phase. 

And, with only a couple of weeks away from being ready,  it's with absolute delight that I am now taking bookings for my personal artist’s hideaway in Sydney!

This is a truly unique opportunity to step into my world; into the world of My Heart Wanders. 

Spend two nights fully immersed in your creative genius, with all access to my multi-disciplined space, as well as one-on-one mentoring sessions with me throughout your stay.

My mentoring clients around the world are currently writing books they never knew they could, making art they never thought they would, and most importantly they are doing so ignited by their own fire, which, through my unique approach, they’ve learnt how to feed and cherish, never wanting to let it turn to ash again.

Please note: As many of you know, I don’t muck around. Once you book your time with me, you open the doorway to your creative calling. And I need to make this clear: This is not creativity as a hobby. This is not creativity as a side project; this is creativity as your calling.

As a prolific author, photographer and visual storyteller, my work has been featured in dozens of magazines and books across the globe over the last decade. I am an artist and I’ve never been starving. Every day I make room to ripen; every day I’m in an alchemical state.

And, now and then, my creativity erupts to make something wonderful that resonates with thousands of people across the globe. 

I live the creative life, the heart-led life. I am the real deal. I go against the grain. I’ve stood in front of my fears, time and time again and moved through those fears, time and time again. I am an artist, I play by my own rules. I am authentic. Passionate. And I’m living it – there is no pretence. There is no bullshit. My work is tangible. I am visible. I live my truth.

And when we work together, you & your authentic work will come through quickly and become visible too, so you need to be ready & willing: it's simply how powerful our connection is, and when you're open, it will flow. 

Bookings are now open for November and December. There are limited spots, and it's by application only. UPDATE 26/11/2017: Bookings now closed for 2017. Bookings from March 2018 now open, please click here to find out more. 

Two magical choices:

1.     I welcome you into my artist's hideaway, and then leave you to your creative self to finish off a project you’ve urgently needed to – providing a nurturing and artistically supportive space, plus access to me when you get stuck!

2.     I mentor you 1-1 during your stay in my space – this is powerful, transformative work; identifying your creative calling and showing your how to make it a reality!

There are going to be lots of wonderful, personal touches to this experience - this is not simply booking a couple of nights accomodation in Sydney, this is opening yourself to YOU. It is a transformative experience that is completely unique and exclusive... 

For more information, please click here. 

Vivent Les Artistes mes amis, Vivent Les Artistes! 

xx