No One Is Like Another One

I have traveled with my imagination since infancy.

I knew even then how to visualize a different way of being, one that was divergent from conventions, away from conditioning, beyond our world, but it did not find its expression until later. Painting and drawing were my first steps to represent those sensitive experiences and visions in tangible forms. If it were not through the arts, and later traveling, I believe my imagination would have turned into a dangerous bubble of fantasy and illusion. 

When I moved from France to Spain to start my artistic path in the visual arts, I fully immersed myself into a journey both geographical and interior. Living in another country gives us a great contrast to, and distance from, the environment into which we are born. 

It encourages, for me, a deeper investigation into identity, with the questions: 

Along with inquiring about identity, learning another language and observing another culture almost mechanically broadens views. It presents distinctive answers to life, other concepts, history, and societal models. 

Eventually an interesting mirror effect takes place, and that's when I started to ask the question of difference and unity within me. I was willing to explore more in that direction and look for a way to engage in my life. That's when I decided to take a trip into the Moroccan desert. We walked daily for hours, mostly in silence in a different surrounding and extreme landscape. At night, we didn't have any tents, only a crystal dark sky and billions of stars for a roof to sleep under. 

It was again in an unknown and contrasted land that I found the inspiration to change once more my perceptions of identity and the world. 

The constant physical effort here in an extraordinary environment enlightened the relationship between the physical body, feelings, imagination, and spiritual inspiration.  

After this experience, I decided it was time to go back to Paris to study art therapy and deepen my research into the correlation of our multifaceted realities and their creative expressions. My goal was to situate the arts as a major element in health, education, societal matters. 

One of the things I have always been very passionate about in my work is how to encourage and support creativity in all communities. I started with performance art and experienced dance as a powerful medium to help take a deeper look into the physical reflection of imagination, emotions, and the diverse realities. I began to travel and work in different countries in Europe and South America using performance and visual art with cultural and social minorities. 

Today I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with my 7-year-old son, who is such a teacher in my life now. Having experienced all the transformations before his birth was nothing in comparison to what transformation has followed since having my son. His birth has given me a deeper experience of my daily life at all levels. I have still continued my art but with an immense shift in engaging in all aspects of creativity that is constantly refreshing. 

I am becoming more and more rooted in this lovely place we call the land of enchantment. I have anchored my personal chemistry and expression with my life path and all the teachings I received in different communities. In my practice, now, I focus on supporting others to engage their curiosity by finding contrast and distance to nourish the quality of their observation with curiosity. To be a third voice, made of their own perceptions and expression, informed by all the diversity of our humanity and nature, aware, owning the beauty and rareness of their own chemistry and embodiment. 

No one is like another one, and unity I believe leans largely on respecting and understanding our differences. 

More of Laetitia's art can be seen here

Laetitia was born in Paris, France. She continues to practice art therapy and starting in the summer of 2017 she is opening a children's summer camp, Corbeau Studio — a camp that engages children's senses, imagination, and capacity for wonderment through movement, activities, drawing, and painting, poetry, and land art. Contact Laetitia here.

Words: Laetitia Meffre