Featured Artist : Tamara Laport

Founder/owner of Willowing Arts

Cinnamon asked Tamara (aka Tam) a few questions, here is what she had to say.

• How did visual art become part of your life ? 

I loved Creating art from a young age, I admired my mothers doodling and my grandmother's paintings!  I loved how it felt to create something new, so in high school I decided to study art and art history which I thoroughly enjoyed.  My high school art teacher was one of my favourite people in the world!  I then decided to go to Art School in Amsterdam (I'm from Holland originally) and that was a very different experience.  It was nowhere near as fun as my high school art lessons and pretty depressing to be honest.  I left that  school after a year or so but I didn't stop creating.  While working in a call centre and later while working in a junior school in Sri Lanka, I kept making art.  It was at this point I discovered art journaling and mixed media art and something just "clicked" for me and I never looked back ;)

• You are a Mom, Artist, Teacher,  Author, and activist what advice can you give on how to keep it all in balance? 

Self Care.  You cannot give from an empty cup.  If you are someone like me that wears many hats, it's imperative that you build in/plan in a 'self care routine' / 'recharging time for yourself into your schedule.  It's not selfish, its helpful.  When you are well nourished emotionally, psychologically, physically, you can be your happiest self and support others the best way you can.  Self Care rocks!

• What is Non Violent Communication and how does it help you in your life?

Non-violent Communication (NVC) is a way of life or an approach to life that incorporates non-violent principles developed by Marshall Rosenberg.  It assumes that all human beings are capable of connecting compassionately with others and when they don't and choose violent ways of behaving that they do so because they have not been able to find more effective strategies to meet needs.

The NVC approach avoids 'right/wrong - good bad' thinking and instead focuses on the feelings and (universal) needs of human beings with an emphasis on trying to create deep connection & understanding between people (in conflict).  Self empathy, kindness, clarity and authentic expression are all part of it.

When I first started studying NVC in 2005 it radically changed my life and how I viewed the world and the people in it.  The approach has had an amazing impact on my relationships with my family, friends, the people I work with and even how I run my business. 

• You are both a visual artist and a singer. What is your favorite song to sing and your favorite subject to paint?

O ooh that is a hard one!  I love so many songs!  Ok, if I had to choose Id say 'Vincent - Starry Starry Night or 'Famous Blue Raincoat' for the songs and my favourite subjects to paint are; faces/portraits and quirky animals for sure! :) Lately: abstracts are calling me again, but I flirt with them more than anything :-)

 

• The world is going through a very hard time right now and you have shared your experience through this online. What are your personal self care routines that help you through difficult times? 

Eating all the cake!  Just kidding ....It's been rough for sure.  Here are some of my tips for rough times (any, rough times):

Allow your feelings to be; sit with them, don't avoid them, they will spill out in other ways.  It's ok to cry, it's ok to be low, it's ok to be down.  Imagine feelings like little people that need attention.  Often when you give even the slightest amount of attention to a feeling its intensity already starts to lessen.
Go slower (if possible), breathe more consciously (we often breathe shallowly in times of stress), rest more if you can
Talk to people about what's going on for you.  Either get a good therapist on zoom, make a weekly zoom date with a friend or talk to your spouse/partner/a family member or friend about whats happening for you. Art your feelings out!  Creativity is a great way to express your feelings and it helps put the mind in a meditative calming space.  Creating is a great therapeutic tool.  

• You have a Class where I am a guest teacher alongside 30 other amazing teachers  called Lifebook. How did Lifebook get started ?  Who is  lifebook for ?

Life Book started 11 years ago when I was pregnant with my 2nd child Elliot, and I had just run a free course called: Art Heart & Healing.   The feedback from this course was amazing, the combination of art and personal development really seemed to speak to people, so I dreamed up this idea of running a year long course (it was the first one then, no one was running year long courses at that point!) that included several amazing artists with a focused theme of personal development where we looked at things like 'how to work through limiting beliefs' and 'understanding the inner critic' how to work through creative block etc as well as learning how to create beautiful art.  As someone who has suffered from trauma as a child I yearned to help others 'feel happier in life', so Life Book took off in 2012 and was a huge success! We've been running it ever since.  This course is great for people who love learning how to create beautiful mixed media art and who may also want to develop personally through finding more self compassion, engaging in self care and growing their personal development toolkit.  

• What new events or projects are you excited about right now? 

2 Years ago I ran a big bundled art sale called Art For Earth  in which we raised approx $35, 000 USD for Tree sisters (an organisation that fights climate change through planting tress, yay :) We will run this project again this year at the end of March 2021! It's what I am really excited about right now! - more info Coming soon 

• Can you share a few of your favorite paintings with us ? 
  

Click on any one of the above paintings to view the video where Tamara chats about these paintings

If you are interested in learning more about Willowing Arts, Tamara can be found using the following links:

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/willowing

Youtube:  www.youtube.com/willowing

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/willowing/

Facebook Group - Willowing & Friends: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/willowing.friends  

I am a teacher in Livebook 2021. 

https://bit.ly/LB2021Sherpa

ARTSHERPALOVE

( use this code to  get 20% off Life Book 2021)

1 year of  creative discovery , teachers that will change your world, and a community that is pure kindness - join us and see the magic Tamara brings 

  Self Care tips 

from Tamara LaPorte

Word Search 

featuring Tamara Laporte

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Well that's it for this weeks edition of The Art Sherpa Newsletter.  We hope you have enjoyed all the content in this issue.  Thank you for reading and being a loving part of the Sherpadom.  

"Be good to yourself, be good to each other and I will see you at the easel real soon" ~ The Art Sherpa