HI, I’M EMILIE!

A THIRTY-SOMETHING YEAR OLD ARTIST AND ADVENTURISTE…

I moved to Berlin, Germany in 2020 after my 30th birthday.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, I knew I wanted to venture off into a new continent and explore other countries to fuel my passions of travel, learning about other cultures, and improving global communities and their well-being.

I became a UX/UI Designer after taking a considerate career break from working in social media management and employer branding for tech startups. I have always been a fan of lean and agile practices and the principles of design thinking which allows purposeful design to exist and be re-iterated on based on changing user needs.

I believe in rebirth (or Samsara in Sanskrit) in everything that we do - it is an important concept to grasp in the creative industry, as ideas are constantly in flux, given energy to flourish, lived out to its fullest potential, and then left to decay to make room for newer ideas and energy.

This acceptance that death and rebirth are constantly among us allows for the cyclical flow of allowing growth to permeate in the most effortless way possible.

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I believe the production and interpretation of art in its many forms: drawing, painting, performance, music, poetry, written prose, interpretative dance, etc. has incredible therapeutic benefits to relax and soothe our busy, logical monkey-minds, but also repair and reduce the destructive and aging properties of physiological stress on the body.

The creation of art is a cultivation for mindfulness, which is also embodied in many wellness practices such as yoga, physical exercise, nutrition, and psychotherapy.

As an advocate for mental health and physical literacy, I hope to bridge the gap between our stressful, Type-A lifestyles that run our physical bodies down by implementing more mindfulness, creativity, and optimism into an alternative, sustainable lifestyle.
The magic about making art (and one of the biggest misconceptions) is that you don't have to be good at it just to create it. There are many therapeutic benefits of being in this Flow state that enhances memory retention, creative thinking and problem solving, and navigating through fears and mental barriers.

Art has always been one of my life passions from an early age.

As an adolescent, I struggled with anxiety and depression up into my early 20’s, often looking to reading, writing, and making art as avenues to channel my repressed energy and lacking ability to fully communicate my needs.

As a child, I dabbled with many different artistic mediums and enrolled in various different programs in the arts - Arts History at Queen's University and Digital Media Arts at Seneca College. Education aside, I found the most rewarding learning experiences to be amongst my mentors, whether it was screenprinting a collection of scarves or painting a 500-metre outdoor mural. I love being around other creatives daily, and love seeking out the creative opportunities in unconventional places with other creators, thinkers, and movers.

I received my 200 hour yoga teacher training certification in June 2017. I became inspired to teach after travelling abroad in 2016 while practising at a surf camp on a beautiful Portugese cliffside beach. I wanted to bring the sensory awareness of these natural landscapes and innate sense of connection with nature to my future students. 

Since committing to the yoga practice and discipline in 2015, I have found yoga to improve my own mental clarity, sleep patterns, mood regulation, on top of improve my posture and general alignment and cardiovascular abilities in functional fitness activities. Meditation, journalling, and philosophical reading has also helped exponentially in sustaining my own creative streaks as I take on many different creative projects weekly. 

For inspiration, I seek out cooking, baking, reading, and travelling to be my main modes of refreshing the pages. I have a huge passion for board sports, finding new brunch cafes, hanging around animals (I will walk your dog!), and spending a lot of time outdoors.

 
 

ACCREDITATIONS

  • UX/UI Design Bootcamp at IronHack Germany

  • WE-Discover Mentorship Program

  • 100HR Yin Yoga & Meditation

  • 200HR Yoga Teacher Training

  • Reiki Energy Healing Level II

  • 20HR Yoga Hands-On Adjustments Training

  • Personal Trainer

  • Top 10 Recipient of Toronto Fashion Incubator’s Fashion Your Future Program

  • Diploma in Digital Media Arts

  • Bachelor of Arts (major in Art History)

  • Certificate in the Science of Happiness