eco-friendly cleaning

Reading a lot lately about sustainability and eco-responsibility i have decided to go on and buy my first eco friendly soap, and i might go on with the same for clothes cleaner soon.

Did you know that usual cleaning products can make our indoor air unhealthy, provoke skin, eye, and respiratory reactions, and harm the natural environment?
To slowly switch to eco friendly cleaners is one small thing we can do to stay healthy and save our planet…

* Alternet article about eco friendly cleaning products and brands.

Where to start? Here is a list of environmentally safe cleaning products easy to find in health food stores:
* Bio pac
* Ecover
* Naturally yours
* Shaklee
* Seventh generation
* Ecos

Of course, these products might be a bit more expensive than usual (and so toxic) ones. I see it as an investment for me and future generation.

My view is that if you like a product, anything from a magazine to an artist’s work, you must encourage his creator by buying of this product and making it know to people around you. If you believe in something, share about it!

what about…

Two weeks ago, before the war started, i was discussing with my boyfriend of ways how we could avoid this war if the American government doesn’t take consideration of the thousands voices manifesting out there around the world.

First i thought “hm, let’s see… if there would be a law that says that if a president decide to send his people to war, then he must be ready to send a close member of his family… be his son, daughter, brother…”

The onion made it really close to reality…

* Bush at war

Our power vs the medias…

Watching tv gets more dramatic everyday. It is really hard to skip through tv channels and find one who has something good to say… I’m really afraid of the consequences of the war, but so do i about the consequences of the coverage of this war by the medias.

How are we supposed to go on? If i close myself to this flow of information, i feel irresponsible towards my responsibilities as a citizen, and if i get the latest infos every day, i get totally depressed by what is going on.

The media coverage of these last days could be called “Scarcity for all” or “stop being happy, because our world is gone mad”…
Didn’t you thought that it might also be time to change these episode of our days that we call “news”? What about news show that would give us 50/50 of good and bad news?

I started to mail different tv station over here, writing them about my wish to hear about good news on their channel. And what if i wouldn’t be the only one doing so? what if we would use our power of manifestation to let the media know what is it that we want?

Like I wrote before, these are times for change. We now know that we have a voice when we use it together, why not using of this voice now?

The war and its effect over me-part 2

I thought my last entry would be the last one about the war topic, but I’ve changed my mind, thinking that other people might feel like i do and that by sharing a bit of my experience I could help others going thru these hard times.

I find it really hard to keep on going with my “normal” life, in fact, my life is not normal anymore, and its the same for all of us around the globe at this time. Things are changing, we are changing because events are changing us. There is good and bad in everything, and i think it is really important right now that we don’t let ourselves falling down. Art is a powerful healer and can be a form of prayer for the artist and the viewer, so let’s make art in any way possible.

Let this hard experience change our world in a positive way – let’s open ourselves, express our feelings and share as much as we can thru writing, painting, dancing, singing, etc. Each of us can do a small step to bring healing and peace around us…

“The transformation of one individual becomes a source of and a catalyst for transformation in others.” – Andrew Cohen

There’s something really interesting that i recommend for everyone to read:

* Ten ‘Inner Tips’ for Coping with the Stress of War and Terrorism. The page is ready to print. Send copies to friends and families, it could not hurt!

The war and its effect over me

I feel sick. I don’t have a cold or anything like that, i am just getting sick of all the events.

You have your opinion about this war, i am still against it. The tv is closed and will stay close for some time. Impossible to visit weblogs anymore without having the opinion of everyone on the topic, this doesn’t bother me, what bothers me is that people are falling into a “i am right you are wrong” position which is getting really extreme.

Our planet is divided and so does the people too. I am against this war, but i will not post here every hour to prove that people who are for this war are stupid and retarded. Where the hell is this going to bring us?

Yes, there is a conflict, people who can’t agree and took actions. Do we all have to follow this anger and divide our world? I am really shocked by everything happening, but i do still respect anyone else who has another opinion on this war – we are all still human beings and anger will not lead us further than where we are right now.

Only history will tell us who is right and who’s wrong. For now, let us try to make our environment, virtual or not, a better place to be. Pray for the best to come, whatever it might be, even if you realize later that you (or i) was wrong. We are all living on the same planet at the end of the day so let’s try to live with our differences RIGHT NOW.

Margaret Mead

“Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to
change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —
Margaret Mead

In the memory of the 23-year-old activist Rachel Corrie who was run over by an Israeli bulldozer on Sunday the 16th of March 2003. (from Rob Brezsny’s Free Will Astrology Newsletter)

Spring is at the door!

Spring is at the door, and people seems to be blossoming of creative ideas!

First Keri, creator of Bea’s Diary, has just created “Bea’s Mini Guide to Making Artists Journals”. I’ve already ordered my copy!

* Bea’s mini guide

Also, andrea from superhero design has just launched her newly born weblog. If you don’t know about Andrea, have a look at her website and her unique handmade jewelry.

* Superhero design
* Also have a look at her Superhero Guide to Designing a Creative Business

The full moon and my creative process

Since i left my 9 to 5 job, i discovered how far away i was from my body feelings. Of course, working so much didn’t help me to focus on my body needs, and all his reaction to food, stress, fear, weather, people around, etc.

One thing which i realized over the pass months is how my body reacts to the moon cycles. I don’t know how it is for other people, but i guess i must not be alone. My cats are also reacting to the full moon in different way, for example, they get hyper active on full moon nights (not that they are not the rest of the time, but these nights area worse

What usually happen is that i get something similar to an adrenaline rush which last for some days. My mind just speed up, ideas are coming from everywhere and my creativity seems to get to a peak. I start to go to bed really late, get up really early, and feel nervous the whole day. Some months it is a good energy, i get so many things done in so less time, but some other time, i just feel totally nervous and anxious and spend my days turning around not knowing on what to focus, and i just cant concentrate on something.

I guess the moon must affect each of us in different ways, but as an artist, i find it really valuable now to follow these cycles since it can give a boost of creative energy.

*The full moon and its effects on my creative process

My favorite illustrators…

There’s the list of the artists who inspire – influence and motivates me to create more. Originaly started in january 2003 the list still grows:

*NEWLY ADDED Lilla rogers, newly discovered, her naive style is just astounishing,

*NEWLY ADDED Jennifer Kalis, i just love the way she create the background textures in her work, and her work is so luminous!

* Julie Verhoeven, her body of work is just astonishing. She is a designer/artist from England, doing this fantasy colorful fashion line art that just kick me back to the drawing table,

* Donna Ingemanson, she did a lot of really nice, colorfull stuff. I deeply dig her work!

* Gunnlaug Moen Hembery, i dont know how to explain, i just love her line drawing,

* Katherine Dunn,

* Edwina White,

* Mélanie Baillarg, a friend of mine living in montreal,

i’m sure there will be many more to come!

Power thought cards

No, i didn’t invented them… they already exist and they are wonderfull! I have them on my desk since a year now, so each day i have one card facing my workplace. I also use them as bookmark (which is quite effective since i am reading at least 4 books at the same time).

Each card is really nicely illustrated by the illustrators from Lila Rogers studio with on one side of the card a powerfull affirmation, following a little explanation at the back.

I wish i could have made them, they are such a great source of support and inspiration!

Power Thought Cards

About courage and trust

I finally took some time back on the drawing table. I had an idea in mind, but it took me a while to settle down and finally get to do it (as always…;)

So, here it is. My latest comic is about courage, a word that came really often on my mind in the last weeks. I illustrate a process which i developped for myself, and it helped me a lot. I hope it can light something in your mind, if so, let me know! (please let me know if you find spelling mistakes. it is quite late, so i apologize)

* Achieving a feeling of security

Aromatherapy in 2 steps

Aromatherapy is something i discovered lately, and i totally enjoy these new smells in my workplace! It’s also one more reason to light a candle… It helped me a lot going thru the winter and the gray days we had over here, give it a try for yourself!

Aromatherapy in 2 steps

This week

Havn’t got so much time to write in the last days, i got a load of jobs coming to me. Next week will run smoothly i hope, so i might have the time to work on a piece i have in mind. I wish i could draw and paint more, it seems like i always find a way to do everything else but to do it.

My next piece will be about courage.

“Life shrinks or expands according to one’s courage”
Anais Nin

Quote found in Fear Not: Thoughts on Courage

You can also send nice free ecards with beautifully illustrated exerpt from the book here.