Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadia Fernanda Paredes Guapo.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a young child, I showed a profound interest in drawing and music. My mom would keep me busy for hours as a child with a pencil and any surface she could find for me to create on. However, as I grew older, society led me to believe I was not an “Artist”, as I didn’t show a natural talent for representational visual arts – in other words, I didn’t draw things as they looked in the world. So, I believed I shouldn’t make Art anymore. Instead, I focused on my talents in music, and I received encouragement, therefore I felt that was where I belonged. Music came to define me. It wasn’t until college where I rediscovered my love for paint and visual expression.
I moved from Mexico City to Los Angeles in 2010, in part because of my love for the Arts. Before leaving Mexico, I had spent many years trying to fit in the world of Psychology and something always seemed off – that is until I encountered Art Therapy. What a revelation! I had discovered a way back to my love of art without having to be what society calls an “Artist”. This jump into Art Therapy launched my path to understanding how incredibly powerful Art is on many different levels. I started to notice how having a daily art-making routine during Grad School was helping me overcome years of physical symptoms related to Stress, such as Insomnia, never-ending Heartburn, persistent coughing and Muscle Contractures. I witnessed how creating was more effective than I thought when I stopped taking daily dosages of medication to help control acidity in my stomach and the recurrent intake of Muscle Relaxers.
Upon completion of my Master’s as an Art Therapist, I continued deepening my clinical knowledge and practice while working with reproductive health, life-stage transitioning and loss – even though it became clear that what I really wanted to do was to create more Art.
At my most desperate hour, when I was feeling bored, frustrated and most importantly, disconnected from my true self, I started looking for classes that could teach me how to use art as a pure expressive medium. I did not want to go with technical skill Art classes that were not giving me what I wanted from the Art World. I was craving raw creative expression, not aesthetics! I felt ready to become the Artist I was meant to be and not continue to fall prey to what society wanted me to believe.
I immersed myself in Intuition Painting® classes and fell in love with the process, as it combined Visual Arts with Movement and Sound. Three years later, I got certified as a facilitator and started designing smaller workshops that include Mindfulness and the Expressive Arts to help people increase their self-awareness and awaken their dormant creative.
As this new career advanced, I noticed my confidence increasing. I was feeling so connected to my purpose! So I decided I would take my personal goal to advocate for the arts as a healing practice and became Treasurer of the American Art Therapy Association. Four years later, I ran for President-elect of the Association and I am happy to share I am currently exercising this role with pride and honor. I can’t wait to see where the arts take me next!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a long road! Times of self-doubt and impostor syndrome have been inevitable. I think as a woman it’s a common thing, particularly in leadership roles. Feeling like balancing my personal life (particularly motherhood) and having a professional career is really tough. Sacrifices sometimes had and will continue to be made. I want to believe you can have it all but am at peace with knowing sometimes it is not possible.
I have been torn several times in this journey, feeling discouraged when things didn’t go as planned or when workshops didn’t sell as expected. But those were also great learning opportunities: I had to expand my business skills, push myself out of my own comfort zone and went on to take marketing classes. I saw I could not do it alone and that seeking help sometimes was the answer.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I teach people how to use art making as a mindfulness practice, mostly through Art Journaling and Intuition Painting (R). My business is bilingual (English/Spanish) and I have a Youtube Channel and Podcast where I present Psycho-educational information about mental well-being and emotional management and then connect it with simple art exercises anybody can do! No previous art experience necessary. I am also an international Speaker and have presented my work in Europe, Mexico and the US.
I am so proud of my clients! Many of them were people who wanted to connect with the Art World but didn’t know how to, and they used their interest in introspective practices and emotional management to connect with their creativity. Seeing how they transformed after having taken my workshops and classes, naming themselves as artists (and some of them even becoming professional artists), makes my heart sing. I love being able to give others permission to create and become the best versions of themselves so far!
I think that I have been able to help them achieve these goals because I know from personal experience how that is. I am always sharing how I found my true path to art, expression, personal wellness and supporting others by engaging in those same practices myself! I have walked the talk, so I feel that creates such a deep connection with my clients and I am always humbled when I get to be invited to share their path as we walk it together.
I am a true believer of the power of the Arts, as it has become the tool that has helped me access my higher self, putting me in the direction that I am supposed to be while I accomplish my goals in alignment with my true self. And most importantly, art has allowed me to become the Artist I wanted to be: one that can share with others the power we all have within.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in Mexico City and a well-accommodated family. I attended a German School down there, so I grew up in a bicultural environment. This helped me become very aware from an early age that there are many paths to live life and that not everything is black or white. From the German side, I learned how to be disciplined, organized and goal-oriented. From my Mexican side, I learned to be emotional, expressive and very much socially focused, always seeking to connect with others.
I was always extroverted and very talkative, which got me into trouble regularly. My mom says I was always telling little stories, and the minute I learned to draw, my stories became visual as well. I loved all things art-related: painting, singing, dancing, drama… I was always involved in something art-related.
One of my deepest loves was food. I remember making my parents angry as we traveled around the world and the only thing I would talk about was the flavors and foods we tasted. I even wrote an essay in Elementary School about food plane! haha
Another big influence in my life has been Disney. I have been obsessed with Disneyland since I was a child, and the thing that would inspire me most would be the happiness in there. The amount of creativity that went into the parks… and the organization. I remember researching about how they got the trash out and how they cleaned the parks when I was in 4th grade. How could they be such a great place to visit? It still leaves me in Aw if you ask me.
Pricing:
- Workshops: $280 + (depending on hours, # people attending, and how many sessions)
- Speaker: $500 -$2500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artfooddreamers.com
- Instagram: @revolucioncreativa_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqrq_6ZH0q062St7nDxdHXw
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/3o6B8bbCg1ZsWewOQHkOp6?si=fc7f04a47c2b497a
