artnlight

There are some moments which will be turning points in your journey as an artist and when I look back, so often that moment for me has had to do with inspiration. Inspiration from a fellow artist's journey, when his or her work sweeps you off your feet and you wish to get into the head from where all this wonder came from. And if you are lucky this artist generously shares her journey and this story gives you strength in your weakest moments. I'd like to share with you the work and story of Elsa Mora. What I love about Elsa Mora apart from her gigantic talent is her voice, which is gentle and wise. She has been there, done it & leads you by hand, with love. I have never met an artist who is more generous than her with her process and her learning. She makes sure she gives as much as she gets.

"I can say that the "slower" I work, the more I get to accomplish. Slow to me means savoring what you're doing, enjoying each step along the way and being focused on the right things. If you put pressure on yourself in order to work fast, in a rush, then your hands will disconnect from your brain and they will end up in two different places. If that happens you will find yourself feeling miserable, like walking in a dark room, trying to figure out how to get out of it. That feeling is not good at all. I have been there before. But experience taught me how to stay away from it." Elsa Mora

"Each day I do the little tasks that I planned as if each one was the only thing that I had to do in my whole life. It feels really nice and light and simple, no pressure, because it's a small thing after all. When I'm done with one task then I jump into the next one. Many small tasks feel smaller than a BIG one. If I cannot take a long break between tasks then I take a short one. A short break means sometimes walking to the kitchen, drinking some water and then coming back, or tickling Natalie and Diego to make them laugh. That little break is like the dot at the end of this sentence. It helps you shape time in a way that feels relaxing. By the time my day is finished I have accomplished a lot. Sometimes more than I planned and I still had space for doing something fun with the kids." Elsa Mora

And if like me, you haven't had enough, you can read her paper-cutting blog (from where all these images are), or her handmade dolls blog or her blog about the miniature books she makes. But what really blew me was her blog on her personal style called The Hidden Seed. Today I truly feel grateful for this blog, because I do know a whole load of you will read her and be touched by her art, her magnificence and her limitless generosity.