Easy to be Creative when Inspired by Nature

Being grateful and inspired by finding beauty in nature

As an artist who’s inspired by nature, I find creative inspiration fairly easily here in Nova Scotia, Canada. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by so much beauty. 

The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.

~Mary Davis

Mary Davis couldn’t be more right!

Deciding between PEI and Nova Scotia

When we decided to move to Canada in 2020, our choices were Prince Edward Island (PEI) or Nova Scotia. We’d visited PEI previously and knew how much we liked the island and all it had to offer, but we also knew people who lived in Nova Scotia. We were on the fence about which location we should call home. 

While we were trying to choose, my hubby Derek found this super-fun couple, Davey and Sky, on YouTube. They VLOG (video/blog) about Cape Breton and different parts of the Canadian maritimes, but mostly Nova Scotia. We ended up being completely enamoured by their adventures and their stunningly beautiful videos. Needless to say, we chose Nova Scotia. Here is a link to one of their beautiful videos:

If this doesn’t make you want to move to Nova Scotia, I’m not sure what will…

Using Vacation Rental By Owner to quarantine

Because we were moving in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we needed a temporary place to stay immediately after our arrival as Canada required a 10-day quarantine once we crossed the border.

On our 2018 trip to PEI, we found an amazing waterfront rental using Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO), and because we went in the middle of June, which was considered off-season, we scored a terrific rate. 

I looked at VBRO again and found another great rental: a place with a waterfront view of the Annapolis River, and again at off-season rates (January), and the owners allowed our kitties!! What more could you ask?! 

The name of the place was Body Energy Vacation Suite, located in Granville Centre, just outside of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Tell Bob & Johane we sent you!!

Being surrounded by such awesome inspirational views during our first four-and-a-half months in Canada, in the middle of winter, definitely made the transition from the United States to Canada more enjoyable. 

I applied for my permanent residency and work permit as soon as we were out of quarantine. After waiting nearly 11 months, I finally received my work permit right before Christmas.  Now I’m allowed to sell my artwork in Canada and I’m more thrilled than I can say!! 

Even without the permit, I could still create art, just not allowed to sell it. But the problem was most of my art supplies were stuck in storage until mid-May.  

So I picked up my camera and iPhone and took photographs of my new surroundings as my creative outlet. That’s when I started using PAINNT (the iPad app mentioned in my previous posts) to work with my photos and make new digital artwork. 

Using PAINNT has been a fabulous creative journey that has allowed me to explore a different type of artistic design process. I started making blank journals on Amazon using my digital designs for the journal covers. I had to publish these journals using Derek’s name on Amazon because of my not being able to sell anything in Canada until I received my work permit. I also plan to have greeting cards printed from my designs in the near future. I’ve even managed to get a commission for an acrylic painting based off one of these digital designs!  

Original photo (left), Digital design made in PAINNT (right)

I recently found a quote by author Elizabeth Gilbert, in her book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, that describes exactly where I am today.

Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, and insist upon it, and sometimes even travel the world looking for it.

~ Elizabeth Gilbert

I am definitely striving for happiness and finally finding it here in Nova Scotia. I am truly grateful and happy. 

If you’re interested in following my future topics, please subscribe below and I’ll send you an email whenever I upload a new blog post. And I’m interested in hearing your views too… please post in the comments.

NOTE: SOME OF THE ABOVE LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS AT NO COST TO YOU, I MAY RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION WITH ANY PURCHASE MADE USING THESE LINKS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXTRA SUPPORT!