Creativity as the Key to Mastering Life

Dreams in Magenta (Hollyhocks), watercolour, watercolour pencils and white ink, 7.5" x 5.78

 

Blog 8

When I came to Canada, I thought my language skills as a foreign language correspondent had prepared me to converse easily in Canada. After all, I was able to translate conversations in English and Spanish sequentially, but it had all been in a classroom setting.

Once in Canada, I felt absolutely overwhelmed. I worried people thought I was uneducated when I stumbled along looking for words. Being a shy perfectionist, I always wanted my husband, Ingo, to be my personal translator. I am glad he refused, because otherwise I would have stayed dependent on him.

It wasn't a surprise that I felt isolated and homesick. As I was only a tourist without a work or residence permit, all my job applications were unsuccessful. However, Ingo found a permanent position in his field in Ottawa three months after we arrived in Canada. As a result, I spent most of my days alone with too much time to ponder my destiny.

I had always lived close to my family and friends. The only time I had moved away was for a six-month internship in southern Germany when I was just 20 years old. The distance was nothing for Canadian standards, about a two-hour drive.

During most of the internship, I felt homesick, spending a lot of time alone in my little apartment. If you have ever heard different German dialects, you will understand my difficulties in understanding the factory workers who spoke a strong Swabian accent. I didn't understand a single word. The workers were not interested in including me. They probably saw in me a spoiled young woman bridging the time before university, without any clues about hard work.

My situation improved drastically when I joined the young designers who spoke High German. I loved working with them, trying out new patterns and wool for the following year's fall collection. It was exciting to peek behind the scenes of the fashion world. The two designers were super friendly and included me in their tasks. I learned a lot about the process from idea to the final packaged wool balls and preparing designs for the new magazines. They also took me to the noisy and smelly factory. There was no hint of glamour, and I couldn't believe how people could work in these circumstances, so maybe I was a clueless and spoiled after all.

I was allowed to create a sample batch of wool. While my use of mohair and bast looked beautiful, it didn't feel as I had hoped. Even worse was the fact that the bast ripped frequently when spinning the two fibres together. Nevertheless, it was enough to knit a long, sleeveless sweater that I still wear every winter.

As I received the employees' discount in the factory wool store, I knitted one sweater after another; so many that I had to stop knitting after a few years because my closet was overflowing. I still have some wool in my studio from the internship. Maybe it's time to pack out the knitting needles again to create a sweater for my family. :)

Nevertheless, the internship and my submitted art projects didn't suffice to get me one of the rare places to study fashion design. Instead, my parents enrolled me in a language school to obtain a degree as a foreign language correspondent in English and Spanish. If I had known that I would move to Canada ten years later, I would have extended my studies to become a state-certified translator. I also would have chosen the combination of English and French, which would have opened many more doors when I looked for employment.

After graduating from language school, I started work as a foreign secretary at an American leasing company. In a few years, I moved up to head of the administration department with the power of attorney.

Teddy with Vase and Apple, oil, 36" x 24", 1988

 

Initially, I still had lots of leisure time and took correspondence art courses in a variety of mediums. Then I took oil painting classes with well-known German artist Inge Besgen. She believed in painting big and was strictly against painting from photos. After a study in blue, I painted a still life with a teddy bear, a vase, and an apple on a blanket in black and white (see above). The next task was an abstract painting with complementary colours, followed by a colour painting of the teddy bear still life. The paintings are about 36" x 24".

It felt exotic and exciting to know a famous artist and paint in her house, filled with enormous canvases and other art materials. I left my still life setup in her study and returned to my painting each week. I loved the creative atmosphere in her house and the company of the other students who all worked on their unique creations.

Unfortunately, once I started my correspondence studies in economics, I had no more time for art classes. After the written exams, I became interested in hand-sewing plush teddy bears. I took a couple of courses, and I was mesmerized. At the beginning of my time in Canada, I was at the height of teddy bear production. I created my own patterns and was happy to find fake furs and joints in art and craft stores. This hobby kept me busy for the first couple of years in Canada. I even joined the Grizzly Gang, an Ottawa teddy bear lovers' club.

 

Wedding Couple, 1995/1996 (centrepiece for our wedding) - The bow tie is from one of my grandfather's old ties.

 

During our initial trips to Vancouver and Muskoka, I had created some sketches. Realizing I didn't have a chance to work before receiving my permanent residence status, I attended oil painting courses at the Ottawa School of Arts. Although I didn't understand everything the teacher said, I understood enough to follow her instructions and regained confidence in my painting abilities through her positive feedback. I needed the encouragement because my rusty skills left me extremely discouraged and made me doubt my talent and creativity.

 

Fall Still Life, 1996

Soon, my art became my retreat. I didn't have to worry about my limited ability to express myself fluently in English. It was the same playing field for all, and I finally found like-minded people who shared my passion for art. Talking about our art and painting together created stronger bonds than just a common language did. I used my creativity to bridge understanding and build connections in my new environment.

Dancing Trees, acrylic, 30" x 24"

No matter my life situations, my art has served as a safe place to be present and forget everything around me. It has helped me through many personal struggles over the past 30 years. The most challenging was the time after my fall in December 2021, which confined me to a bed and wheelchair for weeks and left me house-bound for almost half a year. My creative projects helped me during the year-long recovery, and still provide a retreat when I am frustrated about my physical health, like the painful and movement-restricting osteoarthritis flare-ups in my hips, possibly related to my pelvis fractures.

 

Alex, wool, 14" x 10"

I have been creative my whole life, using various mediums at different times to help me express my creativity. Art has given me much joy and lifted my spirits when life was tough. It created a bridge to build lasting connections. Therefore, I want to share my art and encourage others to explore their creative voice. It will enrich their lives by giving them a means to celebrate life's beauty and helping them through challenges.

Sunny Kamouraska, acrylic, 11" x 14"

If you have fallen in love with one of my artworks and would like to bring it home to enjoy every day, please email me directly. To learn more about my upcoming workshops and courses, please visit my website for more information.

Strength and Fun in Community

Blog 7


While I lived in Germany, I had a close-knit circle of family and friends. After I moved to Canada, I was very lonely and depended only on my husband, which was a huge responsibility for him and led to a strain on our relationship.


I knew I had to find a new community to feel at home in this new environment. However, I used to be very shy, and making new friends and building connections was quite challenging for me. However, I have always been myself among my circle of friends who accepted the authentic me.


Joining the Orleans Newcomers Club, Arteast and Women Moving Forward offered me opportunities to mingle with others. In a Sunday morning life drawing group, I made more acquaintances, but I still missed having deeper relationships. My situation changed when I met artist Rebecca Dufton at an Arteast vernissage. We both loved dogs and bonded immediately. When we found out we lived only minutes apart, she invited me to join her group of outdoor painters. 

They had already met as a group for some time, but welcomed me warmly. Soon, I joined the Plein Air Ensemble for my first painting trip. Once I joined Helene Martin and Janis Fulton as the executive of the Galerie Belle Rive, I met even more artists. Soon, I also joined a painting group that went to Kamouraska in Quebec for a week each year. I finally had a life outside of my family and enjoyed the growing friendships with people who shared my interests and offered a support system.



Through my art, I connected not only with other artists but also with collectors and students, many of whom have become friends over the years. Art has enriched my life so vastly that I want to share the joy. My mission is to create communities of artists and students who inspire, support, and encourage each other. 


I also found a community in my local church, which I had never experienced before. In Germany, not many people attend church regularly aside from Christmas. There were no coffee hours or events outside of the church after the service. I never connected with any members, but those I already knew from the neighbourhood.

Drawing from my 2023 Summer Creativity Activities

These days, I feel blessed. I still have a solid group of friends in Germany and also in Canada. Most are artist friends, but I also have friends from church and the playgroups I went to. I am thankful that my work has helped me to be more open to approaching others. I enjoy building new friendships, especially as our children are adults and live their own lives. Friendships are essential to grow old surrounded by a network of like-minded people. Therefore, I welcome new friends into my life, like the members of a book club in my neighbourhood.

Someone asked me once why I needed friends. I cannot imagine life without them. I found my community of friends in Canada. If I were to leave now, I would miss my Canadian friends as much as I miss my German friends when I am in Canada. However, our bonds are strong. Technology has made it much easier to stay connected through email, texting, and video calls. No more waiting for snail mail that was already outdated when it arrived!


Thank you for being part of my community!

The Need for Human Connection

Image from my German course book 

Blog 6


Over the next five months, I will reflect on my decision to remain in Canada, considering my five core values. In this blog, I write about my hunger for CONNECTION.

While I lived in Germany, I had a close-knit circle of family and friends, most of them I could reach in 30 minutes or less. I could bike or drive to my parents in about 10 minutes. I regularly met with friends to go to the movies, have dinner, attend dance courses, and visit the gym. It was indeed the couple I went to the gym with who introduced me to my husband.

I had a close relationship with my colleagues and fellow students from my correspondence courses at university, and I often saw many of them outside of work.

When I arrived in Canada in April 1995, I hardly knew my fiance’s German family. His few friends from university lived at least 100 km away. Needless to say, there was a big void of human connection.

When Ingo took a part-time job with a family friend, I felt even more trapped. I wasn’t bored because I spent the time creating teddy bears and writing to my friends, but I have never been the adventurous type, and with little money and no connections, I didn’t venture out on my own. I was intimidated by the size of everything. Remember, I came from a small town.

We visited a couple of fitness centres, but many of them had separate sections for women and men, something we were not accustomed to and didn’t want. We tried a dance school because I had made many friends during my time at a German dance school. There were dance parties every Sunday and after our classes. However, the venues we visited around Mississauga left us disheartened because we only saw middle-aged people sitting at tables with food rather than a disco-like atmosphere.

After we moved to Ottawa in August 1995, where Ingo found full-time employment, I felt even lonelier and very homesick. To meet others, I registered with the Ottawa School of Art as soon as we moved to our new home in Orleans. I was very shy and never connected with the other participants. However, I was excited about the instructor’s encouragement over my slowly re-emerging painting skills, which I had neglected for a couple of years. My rekindled interest in art became my happy place.

Once settled in Orleans, we adopted a dog and joined the Orleans Newcomers Club. I met many pleasant people through the club activities, but most of the members were already a step ahead of us with kids and added responsibilities.

I also met some Germans but realized that a shared language alone was not a sufficient basis for a friendship. Additionally, Ottawa is a significant centre for the Canadian Army, which explains why many military couples focus on their families and not on connecting with people outside of their homes. I made a good friend, only to discover a year into our friendship that they would move away. I never heard from her again.

Once we had our first child, I connected with more women in our neighbourhood and several playgroups. Unfortunately, many of them went back to work after a year. However, one of my best friends is still from playgroup times, even though our friendship only grew once our kids were already in high school after we had lost sight of each other for some time. During the years with small children, the children were the focus.

some of the many portraits I created of loved ones and quick encounters

Joining Arteast in 1999 and attending art classes helped me meet new creative people. At this point, I felt more comfortable with the language and enjoyed the activities of the organization and the local art school. I found a wonderful mentor and mother figure, Margaret Clyde, who introduced me to the Blackburn Hamlet painting group and showed me how to frame my art. She also sold my first piece, a painting of white peonies, to her neighbour.


I also got a lot of encouragement and inspiration from the women I met at Women Moving Forward, an organization created by Pierrette Raymond to provide a supportive community of growth and inspiration. My first retreat with them opened my eyes to more fulfillment when I heard the stories of the many amazing women in the group. Suddenly, I saw possibilities for myself to define myself outside of my responsibilities as a wife and mother. 

Please check my July 25 post to learn how I finally found my community

From Small-Town to Super-sized World

Train ride along the Rhein River with lots of castles and vineyards

Blog 5


As an instructor, I love sharing my experiences while learning about my students' stories. By comparing certain aspects of life in Germany and Canada, I will tell you more about my background and transformation.


When I arrived in Canada, everything was new, exciting and scary at the same time. For most of my life, I had lived close to my family and friends. The furthest distance was during my six-month internship at a yarn company in southern Germany. It was less than a 3-hour drive from there to my parents' home.


Moving 6,000 km away to a metropolis like Toronto was inconceivable. I hardly knew anything about Canada. Until then, the only time I left Europe was for a summer vacation to the Asian part of Turkey. I was used to a small town of about 10,00 people. In comparison, Frankfurt, where I worked, seemed enormous, even with a population of only about 600,000 in the early 1990s.


Aside from the big cities, much of Canada is rural or wilderness, so travel between inhabited areas is often long. It's not surprising that Germans and Canadians have different perceptions of distances. While many Canadians view a 2-hour drive as a short trip, many Germans may even question such a trip for a weekend.


Arriving in Toronto, I experienced a culture shock. Everything was super-sized: giant homes, huge cars, wide roads, massive parking lots and shopping centres. Getting to the next bus stop required a long walk. Anywhere outside of the centre of town, you still need a car. 

from my sketchbook

I love the space Canada offers. In Germany, the small streets with on-street parking annoy me. The traffic volume is so bad that I prefer public transportation during my visits. It makes traveling less stressful, and I get endless opportunities to sketch. 

 

from my sketchbook

When I visit Germany these days, I still enjoy that everything is close. You can usually walk to a couple of grocery stores, bakeries and a multitude of boutique stores.


Many Germans frequently complain about the reliability of public transportation, but it takes you almost everywhere. As Germany is less than half the size of Ontario, it becomes clear why public transit is more available in Germany. With over five times the population of Ontario, the density in cities makes public transportation more manageable.


The densely populated German country also means that most people don't own a house. Roughly half the population rents their living space, especially in the cities. Many people move to the suburbs because they cannot afford the rental fees in the large cities. It is a struggle to afford a house in Germany without a second full-time income. Plus, most people stay in their homes until they are too old to live independently or die. Therefore, many children take over their parental home. This situation is slowly changing as employment decisions have forced more people to move.


In Canada, people aim to buy a house or apartment. For many, renting is a transitional phase. When I came to Canada, I could hardly believe that people moved, on average, every seven years. However, these days, the dream of owning a house is almost unattainable for many young people due to housing shortages and the high cost of living.


I feel happy in our neighbourhood. Our family could not have afforded a house with a large yard in Germany. It was the perfect place for our children to grow up. Plus, I love my spacious art studio.

 

I like that we live close to the Ottawa River and many green spaces. However, I miss the many paths through residential neighbourhoods, through fields and woods that link towns and make Germany very bike-friendly.

During the next five months, I will reflect on my decision to stay in Canada relating to my five core values:

• Creativity
• Community
• Connection
• Collaboration
• Curiosity