Inspiring Creative Stories: Vera Paulin - Art, Joy & Creative Nurturing
Today, I'm delighted to share the inspiring story of Vera Paulin, whose creative journey beautifully illustrates how creativity can become both sanctuary and joy, woven into our life by threads that bring us deep meaning, fulfilment and satisfaction, even amidst the demands of full-time work.
One of my absolute favourite parts of my work is getting to witness people rediscover their creative spark and watching it flourish into a vibrant part of their daily life.
Vera's path back to art wasn't a straight line—it was woven through childhood memories of a father's thoughtful gesture, adult adventures across continents, and the discovery that making time for creativity isn't just a luxury, it's essential nourishment for the soul.
Her experience as a graduate of Flourish: The Art of Creative Living and ongoing member of our Creative Hearts Community speaks to the transformative power of having both structure and community in our creative lives.
As we prepare to welcome a new cohort into Flourish, Vera's words remind us why this work matters so deeply. Her story captures the essence of what happens when we give ourselves permission to play, explore, and create—not for perfection or exhibition, but for the pure joy and grounding it brings to our lives.
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.
I remember as a child drawing and painting, as we all do, at home and at school. One memory in particular stands out clearly: When I was six, my mum, my sister and I had been on a six-month trip to visit relatives in Germany. When we returned home to what is now Zimbabwe, I recall going into my room and finding that my dad had set up a low, white-washed wooden table and a small chair for me. On the table was some paper, some paints and brushes. I immediately sat down and started painting, it was so exciting!
At school, my best friend was incredibly talented and that inspired me as well. I wanted to be able to paint and draw as well as she did.
Much later, when I was an adult and on a posting to Pretoria, South Africa, I did a one-year diploma in Fine Arts which was so enjoyable. We learnt a different medium every month and at the end of it we held an exhibition of our work.
Later still, when I was on a posting to Melbourne, I found a wonderful artist/art teacher and took classes from her every week. She taught various media, including acrylics, and a lot of fun was had. We soon became friends.
Further down the track, when I moved back to Melbourne permanently, I returned to her art space and took more classes. I learnt so much from her, not just about art but also about life.
Quite recently I’ve also found a mixed media artist online who offers a selection of tutorials. I have completed some of them and learnt new skills.
And in recent years I found Nicola Newman and her Flourish programme, which I completed last year. Once more I learnt so much and so enjoyed the course that I have stayed on as a member of her Creative Hearts Community.
So art has more or less been a constant in my life.
The other thing that makes me want to pick up a paintbrush and paint is looking at the paintings by the Impressionists, not to paint what they painted but try to discover or invent my own style. I just get so excited!
What do you love most about being creative?
What I love most about being creative is the pure joy it gives me. No matter what else is going on in my life, when I paint or draw or immerse myself in photography, I reach a stage where I’m completely “in the zone”. Nothing else matters, time disappears and any negativity fades away.
Art feeds my soul. I love discovering and exploring different media, most recently oil pastels and mixed media in general: for instance combining watercolour with gold leaf, white gel pen and gold pen. I seem to be in my “bling” phase at the moment as I’m drawn to metallic and fluorescent paints and playing around with those.
And what are some of the challenges?
The biggest challenge is making time for my art. Working full-time presents its challenges in this respect and I’ve come to the conclusion that you can’t find time, you have to make time. What works for me is being part of a group, such as Nicola Newman’s Creative Hearts Community. We meet online monthly to catch up on our creative endeavours, listen to and support each other. Then there are regular virtual creative retreats where we connect online and each work on whatever it is we’re working on while occasionally chatting and asking for and receiving suggestions.
Having a structure in place keeps me motivated to continue painting and drawing, whereas on my own it would be much more difficult - and much less fun.
What surprised you most about expressing your creativity?
What surprises me most is when people actually like my art! So much so, that a few years ago, a painting I had hung in my workplace was bought by a visitor who had come to see my manager at that time! That was completely unexpected. Since then, what is even more surprising is that I have recently been commissioned to paint a series of sea creatures for a friend. Not only was that such fun as it was something completely different to what I usually do. I did a little bit of research on each of her favourite sea creatures and learnt a little more about them. The best moment though was when I handed over the original paintings to her - the expression on her face was wonderful! She had seen photos but having the originals in her hands was of course even better.
That’s what expressing my creativity is all about in the end - not only the actual process of creating which is very nurturing, but seeing how people enjoy what I come up with.
Do you feel your creativity is supportive for you? If so, how do you feel it supports you?
In 2024 in particular, I discovered how nurturing my art actually is. Not only did it reignite my love of art but participating in Flourish helped me through some tricky work-related challenges. Art balanced work and life and helped me stay grounded and feel nurtured. In a small sense it could even be called art therapy. And now it is once more a very important part of my life, along with photography.
How was your experience participating in Flourish: The Art of Creative Living with Nicola and the Creative Hearts Community? What did it feel like and how did it support your creative life?
I thoroughly enjoyed Flourish! Not only did I learn many new techniques but above all I had fun. I was fully committed to completing all the modules (well, almost all, I skipped the one on oil painting as that is a medium I don’t enjoy) as well as participating in the monthly Community Calls and virtual creative retreats. All these dates were in my calendar and were non-negotiable. It felt so nurturing and exciting.
What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to someone wanting to deepen their relationship with their creativity?
Do it! It doesn’t have to be perfect, in fact it rarely is. It doesn’t have to be good enough for an exhibition in an art gallery. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be seen by anyone else. Just do it for yourself, without expectations. Just for the fun of it! For the joy of playing with paints/pencils or whichever medium you choose. Go for it and keep doing it!
Thank you, Vera!
I would like to say thank you so much, to Vera, for sharing her story with such openness and generosity. Her journey reminds us that creativity truly can be woven into our lives at any stage, bringing joy, grounding, and deep fulfillment. And can I just say—Vera's artwork is absolutely beautiful! Her exploration of mixed media, metallics, and that wonderful "bling phase" she mentioned creates such vibrant, soulful pieces.
If Vera'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 Vera discovered, having both structure and community can transform not just your art, but how creativity nourishes your entire life.
Your creative spark is waiting — let's help it flourish, together.
