Fran Simon's Personal Review of Flourish with Painting & Creativity
I’m so delighted to introduce you to Fran Simon, who generously shared her review of Flourish on a call with me last week. Fran said she immediately began seeing results in her creative life after joining Flourish. She even has lower blood pressure! She sees the world with new eyes and is using her art to process her feelings around the political climate in the USA. She said after she took the leap, she realised investing in her creativity made so much sense, and she didn’t look back. After years away from painting, she can’t stop painting in her studio and is loving the creative process!
It’s My Absolute Pleasure to Introduce you to Fran Simon!
In this video, Fran shares her thoughts about Flourish in her own words. Click play to listen in and discover how Flourish supported her to rekindle creative practices in her life, after years away from her art.
Isn’t Fran wonderful? I adore her contagious, joyful energy and love having her as a member in the program (along with all the incredible members we have – they are ALL wonderful – truly!).
If you would like to nurture your creativity, learn how to paint and flourish in your creative life, I invite you to check out my online year-long creativity school. It is packed FULL of inspiration, support and guidance to help you make next year your most creative year to date. I’d be so honoured if you’d like to join us.
Flourish: The Art of Creative Living is Now Open for Early Bird Enrolments!
Check out the full program and discover what bonus goodies you will receive as an early-bird member here — Flourish: The Art of Creative Living – A Year-Long Creativity School.
I’d love to paint with you!!!!
With love,
Nicola xx
PS. If you enjoyed this video, please feel free to use the sharing tools on this page to share it with your friends, or send them the link to this page directly! I’d be so grateful to spread the word about how we can all nurture our creativity and how it supports our wellbeing, health and overall life.
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Fran Simon’s Creative Story
Nicola: Thank you so much for joining us. I’m here with Fran Simon. And she’s had beautiful results with Flourish. I’ve just loved seeing what she’s been able to paint and create. And the way that she’s nurtured her creativity through the course. So thank you, Fran, for being here. I’m absolutely thrilled to be talking to you about the results that you’ve experienced.
Fran: Well, I’m excited to be here. It’s always a great pleasure to see you so I’m happy to be here.
Nicola: Thank you. Thank you.
Nicola: So let’s dive in. Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself, who you are, and what you do?
Fran: Yeah, I live in Washington DC in the US. And I have been working in the early childhood sector for a long time. I am an early childhood educator by training and then a marketing professional as well. And I have a couple of online businesses and a consulting practice. So that’s a little bit about me. I have two and a half dogs. That means that our neighbor dog comes over all the time. And I have a cat, and I have a lovely husband, and a son who’s all grown. That’s me.
Nicola: Awesome. So it sounds like you’ve got a full life. I’m curious to know why was that you were drawn to Flourish? What was it that made you decide to enroll in the program and choose that one out of all the different opportunities and ways to nurture your creativity that’s out there?
Fran: Well, I had been looking for something to pick up my art again. I had put it away for a long time. 30 years maybe. Maybe longer. And I realized there was a gap and I was really eager to be creative again. And my friend told me about your work. And I was … She told me about it, about Flourish, a very long time ago. Way before I ever [inaudible 00:02:01] and as my interest started to pick up, I started remembering and then I took a look at the site, and she shared one of your free examples with me and I was like, “This is for me. This is what I want to do.” So it was a starting … It was reinvigorated my interest in art and painting specifically.
Nicola: I love hearing that. Yeah. I think it’s so common for there to be this gap, particularly in women’s lives. I mean, everyone’s lives. We all get busy, right? In our adult years. And it can be slide down the priority list very easily.
Fran: Yeah, for me, it was different. I put my art away because I felt unsuccessful. I really wasn’t getting the kinds of results I wanted. I had been a painting major in college and I really felt discouraged by that experience. I thought I didn’t have what it took. So I turned all my creative energies to the other part of my life and plowed it into my career. And I was very creative in my work, but I missed that sense of getting sucked into the paint. And taking myself way instead of being engaged in work all the time, letting myself get carried away by the art. So I didn’t … I put it away because I felt unsuccessful and really Flourish really helped me feel … Remember that I do have something to share.
Nicola: You do, yes, yes. Absolutely. I’m so happy to hear that. And it can be a painful experience. Particularly if you go on through tertiary education and it can become so serious. All of the expression that we want to put into the world and it’s layered with a lot of judgment. So I’m really thrilled to hear that you …
Fran: It made a difference for me in a big way. It reignited that passion. But I guess it was my own critical self that caused turn away. Comparing my to other people. Comparing my work to other people’s work. Not seeing the value in my perspective and now I do.
Nicola: Wow, wow. I love that. And so before you joined the program … So many of us when we’re about to jump into something new, we might have some hesitations or some worries. Did you have anything that you were kind of nervous about?
Fran: I mean, the financial part was a little bit of a concern and being able to sustain the momentum was a little bit of a concern. But the momentum issue went away and as soon as I got in, I knew that this was a great value. I mean, there was so much content. I was like, “Wow, that’s a lot for what I spent.” So it was good.
Nicola: Yeah, great. Great. And how long did it take you to start seeing results? Whether in your creative confidence and your mind sets or in your practical skills?
Fran: I think after the second session got more confident and a lot of support in those first two modules where … And I think I really saw it coming together in the second module for sure. And that was fast for me. Some people took longer to do those two modules, but I sort of plowed in. I was like, I think it made me a little high, to be honest. So I was surfing the way there. So I plowed through it really fast and I felt much more confident after that.
Nicola: You were jumping into all the studio dates, and all the exercises, and posting your paintings as you went. It was gorgeous to see. Yeah.
Fran: It was fun. And it was really great to be able to have that community of people who were going through it the same time and they were all very supportive. And I sort of had to push some people to give me a little bit of critical feedback because … But everybody was being so nice. But I did get some feedback and it was great. Everybody was really … I feel like I have new friends.
Nicola: Aw, that’s beautiful. Wow.
Nicola: And were there any other positive experience or unexpected results that you found came out of the program?
Fran: I think I’m a lot more … I think I’ve always been the kind of person who thinks deeply about what’s happening around me. And I’ve always been that way. But I mostly focus that on people’s interactions with other people. I always focused on that. But I think now I sort of have more awareness of cultural things [inaudible 00:07:15] me and sort of … It’s hard for me to describe but I’ve been very … Right now is a very difficult time in the US with our political situation and [inaudible 00:07:27] myself becoming drawn to more [inaudible 00:07:30] that I’m doing. Meaning doing art that [inaudible 00:07:35] happening. And so I’ve become more aware of … [inaudible 00:07:41] aware. But more deeply, thinking deeply about what’s happening on a cultural level in my country. So that’s been a big change and it was very surprising for me. Not that I was unaware before, but I think I just think more deeply about it. And it’s impacting me more deeply than it ever had. And it comes out in my work. I can’t help it. It’s just oozing out. [inaudible 00:08:07] but you’ll see what I mean.
Nicola: Yeah, and how does it feel to have somewhere to express those things that you’re processing?
Fran: I think it … Well, that’s the other thing that surprising about the entire experience is I feel my overall sense of wellbeing is so much more profound now. I know that my blood pressure has gone down, which is fantastic.
Nicola: Wow.
Fran: Not that it was high, but it was not perfect. It was pretty high, it wasn’t … And it’s come down. And I feel more like as I get that out on paper or on canvas, I feel like I’m able to let in so much more positive, so many more positive feelings. And I’m much more reflective. Yeah. The art has really been soothing, and it’s my escape, and it’s what I want to do all the time. I think I told you before, it’s hard for me to pay attention to my work and paint at the same time in the same day because I get so sucked into my artwork that I don’t want to use my creativity for my work anymore. But I’m balancing that. I’ve got it. It’s all okay now.
Nicola: Good, good. I feel quite emotional hearing you speak about how it’s, yeah, influenced your life. And that it’s such … It’s even helped your blood pressure. That’s amazing. I never expected that.
Fran: I’m totally not kidding. And I didn’t expect it too. But I had three doctors appointments in a row and all three times my blood pressure was quite a bit lower than it usually is. Especially when I go to the doctor. So it was … I was shocked. That’s really cool. It’s very cool.
Nicola: Yay, very cool.
Nicola: And what would you say has been your biggest take away after going through Flourish?
Fran: Well I’ve never … I’ve always been a risk taker so that’s good. But I feel more confident about taking a risk on paper. I always have this sense of when to [inaudible 00:10:20] materials and not use them. It’ll run out. And now I just feel like I can feel comfortable using what I need. That sense of abundance you talked about. I feel good about that. [inaudible 00:10:43]
Nicola: Yeah, that’s great. That’s great. Sense of abundance is so important with materials.
Nicola: And what would you have liked to have known that you know now when you were considering the program?
Fran: Not to be afraid of making an investment in my art, in my … Because it’s an investment in myself. Didn’t make before. I mean, I might … Not that I ever deprived myself, but I would spend my money in different ways and this has been so much more [inaudible 00:11:24] for me, now being so involved in my artwork. And it’s giving me a mental boost, an emotional boost, and I just feel like I should’ve done this long ago. I should’ve been turning my attention [inaudible 00:11:43] critical judgment that I hear all the time. One of the things that’s happened is that I used to … I said that I felt that I didn’t have any talent, and I was no good at it, and I just put [inaudible 00:11:58] but what I’ve learned is that when it’s not looking great, if you keep pushing through, it actually comes out surprisingly well. I just have to push through.
Fran: And that’s funny because in the rest of my life I’m like that. Like with my work, I just push through, I push through and I’ll get it to where it needs to go. But I always used to just tear up the paper. Even as a child. If it didn’t look the way … Like a little kid, I would ball up the paper and throw it away. Or I would just … When I was a painting major, I just put it [inaudible 00:12:36] but now I [inaudible 00:12:40] through. I can push through, I can get it there. I just started a painting and I was in a black mood when I started it. And I wanted to discharge that feeling. And I knew it would look ugly. I chose ugly colors. But I said [inaudible 00:12:56] we can push it through and I did. So that’s been really a great lesson for me.
Nicola: That’s beautiful. Yeah.
Nicola: And what would you like to say to somebody who may be considering joining up?
Fran: I would say, it’s funny because I’m afraid people will think this is a paid endorsement because I feel so strongly about it, but it’s not. I did not get any payment to say this. But it will be a great investment. And you’ll find it’s an investment in more than just a hobby, it’s an investment in yourself. In your emotional wellbeing and your physical wellbeing. And you won’t even realize until you turn around and then you’ll say yes. But most of all, just being with Nicola is the best part. I mean, just seeing her on video always brightens my spirits.
Nicola: Oh, you’re so sweet.
Fran: And also the relationships [inaudible 00:14:02] were so great. So I think it’s a great investment. Really do. It’s really worth while.
Nicola: I really, really appreciate that, Fran. And it’s been an absolute delight having you in the program. So thank you so much for being here and for everyone listening, I’m sure you can see that Fran is amazing and she’s full of life. So thank you so much for doing this little interview with me. And I hope you have many years of joy as you continue within the program in Flourish and in your creative life. So thank you.
Fran: Thank you, Nicola. So much fun to see you again.