A Thread of Light
Dear creative soul,
Ten years ago, in the golden light of May, something began to unfold: Layers of Light, my very first online class, and the beginning of my journey as a creative guide.
At that point in my life, art had already changed everything for me.
A few years earlier, I had discovered mixed media almost by accident, while searching for a creative outlet that could finally help me express all the stories, emotions and dreams I had kept buried for so long. The moment I picked up a paintbrush, something opened. It felt like coming home to myself.
Painting became a way to reconnect to the truest part of who I was, layer by layer.
Pretty soon, I realized I wanted to share this life-changing experience, this magic, with other creative souls. I started this blog, did a first art show and, to my surprise, I started getting requests to teach. I felt a strong pull, but I was still a beginner and carried so much resistance. For a long time, teaching felt completely out of reach.
And yet, the idea kept returning. Then one day, after a difficult season that left me exhausted and questioning everything, the title came to me almost like a whisper from my inner artist:
“Layers of Light”
In that moment, something clicked into place.
Unfolding a thread of light
So I got to work. I started filling a notebook with ideas, unable to stop imagining lessons, projects and possibilities. Day after Day, I followed this thread of light, and it started weaving itself into something more: not just a class, but a soulful creative journey.
Then it was time to bring it to life.
I was learning everything as I went, filming under the skylight in my tiny studio under the eaves, following the shifting natural light through the day. I had no microphone, no studio lights, and very little idea of what I was doing technically.
What I did have was a deep sense of knowing. A feeling that this mattered.
Looking back now, I realize those three words, Layers of Light, already contained the essence of everything I would go on to teach.
The meaning hidden inside the title
At first, “layers” simply described the way I loved to create. Mixed media had unlocked something in me. I loved building surfaces slowly, layering paper, paint, wax, marks, fibers, words and texture until something meaningful began to emerge. I loved the imperfect beauty of the process, the way each layer transformed the one before it.
But over time, I realized that layers were never only about art materials. They became a metaphor for life itself.
Every painting begins awkwardly. Uncertainly. Sometimes chaotically. There are muddy stages, messy stages, moments where nothing seems to work yet. And still, every layer matters. Even the ones you want to cover up. Even the “mistakes”. Even the moments that make you doubt yourself.
Because transformation happens through layering, through showing up, through allowing the process to unfold instead of demanding perfection from the beginning.
I think this is why mixed media resonated with me so deeply when I first discovered it. It gave me permission to explore instead of trying to get everything right.
And in many ways, that became the heart of my teaching too.
From the light around us to the light within
The “light” in Layers of Light also grew to mean something much deeper than I first understood.
The class begins by paying attention to the light around you. Through photography prompts, journaling, inspiration quests, and mindful observation, you start noticing the small details that usually pass unseen: the glow at the end of the day, shadows stretching across a wall, a texture that catches your eye, images and symbols that stir something within you.
But slowly, the journey turns inward.
Toward your own creative spark. Toward the stories, emotions, memories and symbols that want to emerge through your art.
At its heart, Layers of Light was never only about learning techniques. It was about reawakening creativity. About learning to trust yourself. About discovering that your art becomes most meaningful when it reflects something true.
The beginning of everything that followed
Looking back now, I can see that all my classes were already contained inside Layers of Light in seed form.
The themes that would later unfold throughout my work were already there: journaling, personal symbolism, creative exploration, mindful observation, photography, Pinterest inspiration boards, texture and layering, intuition, authentic expression, and the relationship between art and self-discovery.
Over the years, that thread of light kept unfolding in different ways, through new classes, new ideas, and new creative paths.
And now I sometimes smile when I realize:
All my classes are Layers of Light, each one in a special way.
That thread of light never disappeared.
Every artist’s voice looks different
One of the things that means the most to me is seeing how differently each student interprets the journey (see above). This was always important to me from the very beginning. I never wanted my classes to produce copies of my art.
What moves me most is seeing women reconnect with their own voice, their own symbols, their own stories, palettes and ways of seeing. Creativity is profoundly human, and yet so many of us grow up disconnected from it, convinced we are “not creative,” when in reality that creative spark has simply been buried under layers of fear, perfectionism, self-doubt or life experience.
Art can rekindle that spark, layer by layer.
Star Catcher
One of the final projects in the class is called Star Catcher.
Looking at it now, it feels almost symbolic of the entire journey. A figure reaching upward, gathering light.
To me, it represents that moment when you stop looking outside yourself for permission and begin trusting what calls you from within. The moment when creativity stops feeling distant or reserved for “real artists,” and becomes something living, personal and deeply yours.
Here’s a small glimpse into the creative journey of Layers of Light…
A full-circle moment
This year marks 10 years since I created Layers of Light, and it feels like the right moment to honor this class and everything it represents.
Soon, I’ll be retiring it.
Not because what it carries no longer matters, but because that original seed has now unfolded through all the classes and creative journeys that came after. And yet there is something very special about returning to the beginning, to the original spark, to the class where everything first started taking shape.
From the very beginning, Layers of Light carried a deeper intention:
Let your light shine through your art.
Ten years later, that intention still feels just as true to me.
Not because art needs to be perfect or impressive, but because creativity has the power to reconnect us to ourselves. To our stories, our voice, our inner light, and the parts of us that have been quietly waiting to emerge.
For a short time, you can still step inside Layers of Light before it retires.
If you join, you’ll continue to have lifetime access to the class, so you can revisit it whenever you need inspiration. And if you’re already a student, your access remains exactly as it is.
If you’ve been longing to create art that feels more meaningful, more intuitive and more deeply connected to who you are, this is a beautiful place to begin. Or maybe, to begin again.
Somewhere along the way, you may discover your own thread of light, unfolding one layer at a time…
Light, Love & Fairy Dust,
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