Creative Curiosity by Nathalie Le Riche — emotional healing

Following a dream can feel exhilarating—until the path becomes weighed down by challenges, especially the lack of money. What do you do when trying harder only brings more strain, more obstacles, and less joy? Pause. Ask yourself: • Am I forcing my dream to happen in one fixed way? • Do I believe I must achieve this dream to be happy, loved, or at peace? • Why do I want this dream—truly? Is it to fill an inner void, or to prove something to the world? Challenges are not punishments; they are alarm clocks. They remind us that perhaps the...

For years, I believed that silence was safety. That if I swallowed my truth, others would feel better. That my quietness could mend their sadness, soften their anger, create peace. But instead, my silence became a breeding ground for pain—mine and theirs. I didn’t just lose my voice. I lost myself. When I finally spoke, it wasn’t gentle. It was fierce, raw, and misunderstood. My truth, long buried, came out like a storm. And in its wake, I met resistance. Arguments. Accusations. Almost physical confrontations. Not because I was wrong—but because none of us had learned how to speak without...

Lately, I’ve been sifting through a tapestry of my past creations—a visual diary of emotion, memory, and transformation. This painting—I Choose to Let You Go—came from one of the most painful chapters of my life. I created it in the wake of a 36-year relationship ending, when the silence of being alone felt deafening. The pain of being with myself reminded me of my teenage years, when I had lost all hope. If you’ve ever felt stuck, lost, or aching, I want you to know: you’re not alone. What I discovered in that darkness is something I now offer to you—as...