Studio Time, San Francisco, March 2007
Dear readers, since I’ve been away from the “blogsphere” for a few days, I decided to invite you into my world for a bit. Take a peak at my creative area!
Here is where I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately : brainstorming, planning and developing ideas for my own artful business. Truth be said, I have also been (madly!) working on another big film project. I am now producing the visual effects for Spiderwick Chronicles (that’s my day job, btw!), a feature adaptation on the children’s book series of the same name . If you have young readers at home, I highly recommend these fun little books and (especially!) the illustrated field guide!
Here are some of my other projects at the moment:
More Kids’ illustrations – I have some samples up in the picture above! Illustration has become my biggest passion (after Dance and Travel)! I dream of the day when I will do that for a living… (That day is closer and closer now! Yay!) I’m working on a portfolio to take to the SCBWI conference in August. Any of you coming to this event too? I went last year and it was fantastic!
Book Project – This is a great new opportunity for me. I can’t tell you much right now… But it’s going to be incredible!!! And as soon as I can, I promise I’ll let you in on that journey.
Gypsy Shop – Some of you have emailed and asked me about it, so here we go: I’m setting up an online store to sell prints of some of my photos and illustrations here. I’m both flattered and excited about this! And I’m in the process of testing several print services too. The images are very hi res so they can be printed fairly big. Cool, uh? Some of the photos that will be available are here on the blog and some will be totally new.
Gypsy Girl’s Guide site – I’m redesigning the site to include more features. Surprise!! More on that soon!
Partnership and Collaboration – This is super new and exciting! I’ll be collaborating on a creative project with a very special Blogger. Who could it be??? More on that soon!
Travel – Finally! I need to keep moving!! :D Starting this October, I’ll be spending sometime in Bahia, Rio Grande do Norte and the island of Fernando de Noronha in Brazil. The plan is for me to document this tropical paradise with lots of photos and illustrations ~ I can’t wait!
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Phew. I think this is it for now. I cannot squeeze anything else besides kisses from my “Sito” (who is such a good listener and who cheers me up all the way in everything I do!)
As for you, my dear ones, I’ll be back to full swing, reading and writing by the end of this week. Till then, I’m sending you lots and lots of inspiration and happiness!

Fresh Tomato at home, 2007.
“If a woman wants to be a poet, she must dwell in the house of the tomato.” Erica Jong
I found the quote above in Gayle Brandeis’ fascinating book, Fruitflesh. I am completely inspired by it and I can’t put it down. If you haven’t done that yet, order it immediately. I guarantee you will devour Brandeis delicious words! (Huge thanks to Michelle and Susannah for the tip. I saw it on your lists and I knew it had to be yummy!)
As far as writing guides go, Fruitflesh has been a completely new experience for me. Every chapter starts with a ripening meditation, exploring how a particular fruit looks and how it feels to the touch and to the tongue. Then, it invites you to taste it with your whole body and awareness. Needless to say, in that process, you are unleashed on a feast for the senses, marrying your body, your sensuality, your deepest secrets and words.
In one of the chapters, Brandeis describes the tomato as a misunderstood fruit once considered poisonous, aphrodisiac, and still often mistaken by a vegetable. She then makes a comparison to artists, who are also often misunderstood, but who eventually, find appreciation for their fruitfulness. I love that analogy and decided to make my own version as an exercise. Okay. You can tell me later if I am tripping out ;)
The tomato got me thinking about simplicity and wholeness as well. I envy the tomato. It hardly needs anything to enhance its flavor. It’s comfortable in its own skin. I wish I could handle myself as it does, in its tight and neatly packed complexity. I envy its boldness. How well it carries the color red without any inhibition. How it is well rounded. I want to have its effortless beauty. Be unassuming yet powerful, holding many layers and textures. I want to exuberate the same smooth glow on the outside and real coolness, on the inside. I want to claim my juiciness and all the creative seeds that are waiting to be discovered underneath my skin. I want to be just as simple and just as whole.
I believe we are one sweet and complete package, just like the tomato. Yet, we accumulate so much clutter and responsibility. We over complicate our lives and distance ourselves from our pure essence. When I travel, I always come to the conclusion that I really don’t need that much to be happy. I become part of the world. I merge with it. I don’t need a variety of outfits, belongings, etc. A suitcase with some essentials is more than enough. In that context, I’m like the tomato: a succulent fruit in balance with nature.
So why is it so hard for us to cultivate the tomato’s easiness in our everyday life? Can we un-complicate our lives for the sake of being able to really know and reveal the uniqueness and truth of our flesh and soul?
(Thanks so much to Gayle Brandeis! Your book is more than delightful! It’s pure pleasure and it’s making a huge impact on my writing and in how I experience the world around me and in me! Absolutely delicious and inspiring!)
For more inspiration… Go here!