Summer of lost and found

After one of my shows in Montreal, I felt completely lost. Not a single piece of art sold, even though it was one of my biggest shows to date. I had worked so hard on that portfolio — part of my Mastery Program — but deep down, I knew I wasn’t where I was meant to be.

That feeling of failure slowly started to affect more than just my art. I lost a little of myself, and with that, a bit of my connection with my husband. I was so focused on questioning my purpose — how I got there, how to find my way back — that I couldn’t see how much it was affecting us. For the first time in 15 years, I felt like my relationship was truly at risk.

Then, one day, I realized I had been painting things that didn’t represent me anymore. So I gathered all my unfinished works and decided to face them one by one. I knew that to find my positive energy again, I had to transform each of those paintings.

Something shifted inside me. I started to notice the small things — a perfect brushstroke, a clean line — and began to practice gratitude for every small victory. That’s when I truly understood something no one tells you: being an artist comes with deep challenges. If you’re not ready to face them, you’re not ready to grow.

Then came the breakthrough — River Within. It became one of my most visited works online. After that, Lily and Silence, which I later donated to a foundation supporting families in need. And finally, Home.

Home is the story I’m sharing with you right now — the story of someone who got lost and found her way back. Not the same person, but someone stronger. In this piece, I chose to represent myself as a stag, not a doe — a symbol of strength, maturity, and renewal. I painted it intuitively, not realizing until later that the stag embodied everything I was becoming.

This summer taught me that sometimes losing yourself is part of finding your true path. Every brushstroke, every challenge, and every tear had a purpose — to bring me home, to the artist and person I was always meant to be.