Art as Lifeline: Reaching the Sleeping Corners of the Soul | Ovi Paulter

WATCH the Video Version:

SCAN to Listen on a Mobile Device:

Access the Episode TRANSCRIPT:
_{(click on the 'Transcript' tab)}

VIEW TRANSCRIPT

Summary:

When Healing Begins with a Brushstroke

Ovi didn’t begin painting because she had time, or talent, or even a plan. She started because she was surviving. Years of trauma, heartbreak, infertility, and a quiet inner disconnection left her numb. But somewhere deep inside, there was still a longing. A flicker.

When a trusted voice suggested she try a creative outlet, she followed that nudge. A casual oil painting class at a local community school turned into something sacred. Over time, Ovi discovered that each time she put brush to canvas, it stirred something awake in her—a part long buried beneath the weight of responsibility and pain.

As she painted florals, inspired by tender memories of summers with her grandmother, something unexpected happened. Her nervous system softened. Her inner world started to reassemble. Art didn’t just give her beauty—it gave her a bridge between her past and her present, between the hurting child and the wise woman she was becoming.

Creativity as Soul Medicine

There’s a reason Ovi now teaches what she calls gentle creativity. She knows that many women feel like they’ve lost themselves in the busyness of life. We’re so used to being the strong one, the one who holds it all together, that we forget how to receive softness. We forget that we’re allowed to do something purely for ourselves just because it feels good.

Gentle creativity isn’t about creating something perfect or worthy of praise. It’s about removing all the obstacles to entry—guilt, fear, comparison—and simply beginning even if it’s for fifteen minutes a week even if all you have are pencils, or a candle, or a few moments of stillness.

As Ovi says, “You don’t have to be a survivor of trauma to need this. You could just be exhausted from being everything to everyone. You could just be missing yourself.”

An Invitation to Begin

So here’s your invitation.

Buy yourself flowers. Pick up that dusty paint set. Sign up for that beginner’s class. Colour with your kids. Write a memory. Start something—anything—that sparks a flicker of joy.

Not to become an artist.

Not to check another box.

But to remember who you are beneath the roles, beneath the noise, beneath the never-ending to-do list.

Because when words fail, art speaks.

And when you’ve tried everything else… sometimes, creating is the thing that reaches the parts of you that nothing else can.

Reflection Question:
What gentle act of creativity is your soul whispering for today? Can you give yourself permission to follow it—just for 15 minutes?

^{Ovi Paulter}

_{Ovi Paulter is a floral oil painter, teacher, and nonprofit founder helping women reconnect with peace, identity, and beauty through slow, soulful creativity. She began painting during a season of deep burnout — not to become an artist, but just to breathe again.} 

_{Now she teaches others to create without pressure, using non-toxic materials and a gentle, step-by-step approach. Her message isn’t about performance. It’s about creating softness and belonging in a world that asks too much.}

^{Website: https://www.instagram.com/ovipaulterart
Your Next Step: Follow on Instagram
Ovi Paulter on Social Media: Instagram}