Cockerill-Sambre index card 1

Tammy came up with such an original idea : an index-card-a-day challenge!
Isn't that telepathy?
I was going to throw away the six index cards I've made for my board presentation the other day...

Now, I am recycling them!
This is the first one after having prepared the background :

The text is still showing through...

Then, I've sketched/painted a part of our famous steel manufactury in Charleroi.

I love to sketch buildings (has to be because of my left brain... all those squares and lines and other geometrical shapes are gorgeous).

week as art!

Tonia Davenport liked my Milano spreads! They are featured as "week as art" at create mixed media.

If you want to skip all the talking and visit directly my travel journal, click here.


For this special occasion, I'll reveal a few things about myself.
This is me :

I began this blog in october 2010 to record Margot's first steps into this crazy world but it has turned into a creative journey far beyond my imagination!


I felt tortured for about 30 years until I finally figured out how I function.
You may be familiar with the concept of "brain sides". It is a theory that suggests that our mind has two different modes of thinking and that each of us chooses one mode over the other.
The right brain is rational, analytical, objective and reality-based.
The left brain is intuitive, non verbal, creative and fantasy-oriented.
I couldn't figured wich one was dominant. It bothered me until I've decided to let go and enjoy both sides at the same time!


I am a physician. I am trained to make logical diagnosis from informations.
My left brain is a chronic listmaker. I enjoy making schedules and plannings. I enjoy making rounds at the hospital and checking off tasks when they are accomplished.


My right brain is the artist.
Drawing or photographing what surrounds me makes me stop and take notice. I need to sketch out my problems and illustrate my notes.
I love colors, textures, lines and shapes. Inspiration comes from anywhere!


If you browse through my archives, you'll notice I usually don't write long blog posts.
Today is no exception so I'll conclude with two things :
1. To all artists out there : "Thank you so much for visiting. I enjoy every comment you leave."
2. To all physicians out there : "Stop taking yourself so damn seriously."

IMBE

Remember that Internal Medicine Board Exam I had to take last time? It was a written test.
Today, I had to present a clinical case in front of the board.

It went just fine. I'm happy it's finally over!

liste du vendredi : list of contusions

At 4 am, I had to go get a lady at the ER of an other hospital and bring her back to Charleroi's ICU, since our hospital is an academic neurosurgery center.
We drove two hours, one way and back. She was stable.
She fell down the stairs.
She had :
1. a left sub dural haematoma,
2. a left cortical petechial hemorrhage,
3. a right conjonctival haemorrhage,
4. a right clavicle fracture,
5. multiple rib fractures,
6. and some pulmonary contusions.

ICU night shift

no time to draw...

Etsy Lab in Brussels

I went to an art journaling workshop in Brussels held by Anna Denise yesterday evening.
It took place at Turtlewings, an amazing creative space owned by the lovely Julie Anne Verbeelen.
When Margot will be old enough, she will definitely go to one of their summer camps!
And then, you have Marta. Marta is Etsy's dutch "Tinker Bell"! She's the one who brings artists together!

It was my first art journaling workshop ever and I had fun!

I've peeked into gorgeous journals :

Milano spread 11

Milano spread 10

Milano spread 9

Milano spread 8

liste du vendredi : events that changed my world

I just became 32 years old last month and these already changed the world (random order) :
1. the fall of Berlin wall
2. the digital revolution
3. the end of the soviet union
4. internet
5. the Gulf war
6. the Eurosystem
7. new concepts such as 'global warming', 'renewable energies' and 'fair trade'
8. the destruction of the World Trade Center
9. the end of Apartheid
10. the death of Michael Jackson
11. HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) to prevent death from AIDS
12. the subprimes crisis in USA
13. the forced out presidency of Ben Ali
14.  tsunamis  

Milano spread 7

Margotherapy

Milano spread 6

Milano spread 5

Milano spread 4

Milano spread 3

Milano spread 2

Milano spread 1

I'm back! With lot's of ideas. I'll try to work further in my travel journal and post one spread everyday.

day four in Milan

my last day : shopping!

clothes? no.

stationary? YES!

goodies goodies goodies

 lots and lots of eye candy

couldn't resist. bought 3 new journals. don't really need them. have already to many. but feeeeeeeels so good. sooooooo good.

 even went to "Fabriano boutique".
that famous italian brand of paper.

just to flip through pages. to test their weight. to sniff them.

day three in Milan

practicing a "turkish map fold" in my travel journal :

looking for inspiration :

enjoying the Sforzesco Castle's collection of decorative arts from Lombardy : gorgeous keys, ceramics, time meters...

alone in an 'all in wood' Milanese tramway :

day two in Milan

farniente

food love

colored doors

lost and found

day one in Milan

first thing first : un gelato!

patterns :

lots of luuuuuv!

'una libreria' with ancients books

and I think about Margot so much that I see her everywhere...