Inspiring Creative Stories: Michele Bisetto - Reclaiming Creativity, Healing & Artistic Play

I have had the pleasure of knowing Michele Bisetto after being introduced by a dear past client (thank you, Emma!) a few years ago. We met in person when Michele came to Lady Elliot Island for the Art of Creative Living Retreat in 2023, and it was truly a heart-opening experience, just being in her presence.

She’s someone who moves with such poise and grace, you can see how movement weaves through her life and how it formed the cornerstone of her work in the world. Michele also has such curiosity about art and playfulness and the subtle ways we can use those for healing, too.

What I love so much about the work I do, is the connections it affords. Meeting other Creative Hearts who share this path and have overcome setbacks through their wisdom and strength is inspiring. Michele’s story is one I know will inspire others, and I’m so honoured to share it here. Now let’s dive in!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your paintings? I would love to know what led you to pick up a paintbrush.

Exploring and playing with paints is a relatively new experience, and I began dabbling in acrylics and oils when I enrolled in Flourish. Previously I had explored some watercolour and ink washes.

As a young child I only had access to pencils, chalk and crayons, and as an adolescent I simply loved to sketch and draw, and especially dear to my heart was making homemade cards for the family. This love of drawing landed me in art college in the 1970’s for a tertiary orientation program with the intention of completing a fine arts degree in drawing. Painting and sculpture were deemed to be the leading degrees to pursue and the rigour of realistic drawing did not seem to factor so much during this post modernism period. I didn’t complete the degree and my path took an about turn, whereby I trained and worked in health science, natural therapies and finally movement arts

What do you love most about being creative?

I love how creativity enlivens and calls me present, and nurtures my inner child and adolescent. Being creative connects me to the natural world, slowness and observation. I I feel my most authentic and in flow when I’m creating

And what are the challenges?

This aliveness, presence and permission to just experiment and play with art materials and techniques is also a relatively new experience, and can be mostly attributed to delving deep with somatic therapy. Due to a discouraging and unprofessional incident from a ‘lecherous’ life drawing lecturer as a 17 year old, my ability to pick up and embrace art materials was significantly impacted after I left the college. I buried the incident and my love of art was also partly buried, up until my late 50’s 

Have you experienced any gifts in the midst of deepening your relationship with your creativity?

I’m blown away by the gifts I’ve received from meeting Nicola, joining Flourish and the Creative Hearts Community. Her ability to create an inclusive atmosphere of warmth, connection and belonging is priceless and has contributed to me feeling safe in the art world.

This support has really allowed the inner critic to take a back seat and enjoy the process rather than the outcome, and to let go of much fear and resistance.

Getting in touch with my creativity has re ignited my love of quick spontaneous sketching and drawing, especially life drawing, and re connected me with that young 17 year old who was somewhat shut down for such a long time. A more recent gift was striking up the courage to attend a life drawing retreat which was very much about exploration, movement and acceptance of all parts of the whole.

What surprised you most about expressing your creativity?

It’s reignited my passion and desire for getting in touch with art making. There is nothing more enjoyable than playing with paints and collage as though you were in kindergarten, and feeling ok about making a mess, and possibly creating unexpected happy accidents.

The finger painting and oil painting modules in Flourish were a big surprise. It felt just so darn sensual and liberating!

Thank you, Michele!

I would like to say thank you so much, to Michele, for sharing her story. Her journey reminds us that creative expression can be a road that has potholes and unforeseen obstacles, but when we feel called to embark on a creative life, it is a path that is worth returning to with great self-compassion and gentleness.

And I’d like to say, how much I adore the fluid movement and sense of form and life in Michele’s work. It has been an honour to witness her reclaiming her identity as a creative, and not allowing that old awful lecturer to steal something so precious from her. So much courage and heart in this story, thank you, Michele.

If Michele's story has stirred something in you and you're feeling called to explore your own creative path, I'd love to invite you to join my free Art of Creative Living mini-course. You'll discover how to paint a beautiful abstract painting, learn my favourite tool for dissolving creative blocks, and create your own personal Creative Map to guide your unique creative journey.

And if you're ready to dive deeper into a year-long creative adventure surrounded by a supportive community of fellow artists, our new cohort of Flourish: The Art of Creative Living is now open. Just like Michele shared, having both structure and community can transform not just your art, but how creativity nourishes your entire life.

I’d love to create and paint with you!