The 20-Year Journey Behind Affirmarelles
While Affirmarelles may appear as a simple combination of calligraphy and watercolour, their origin lies somewhere else entirely.
As a child, I had a natural inclination towards drawing and painting, but I didn’t yet know what to do with it. What I create today emerged much later — after a longer, winding path I didn’t know I was following, and one I am deeply grateful to have travelled.
The transformative power of storytelling
It all began with the pleasure of feeling myself change while reading a novel or watching a film. I have always been captivated by the transformative power of storytelling—the way a narrative can make you feel like a different person. After finishing a great book or movie, a certain "scent" would linger within me, subtly altering my perception of myself and the world. This fascination led me to pursue Film Studies at university.
After graduating, I continued my research independently, exploring the stories of ancient sacred texts because I felt they held answers to questions I didn't even know how to articulate yet. I simply felt a profound, undeniable urge to look deeper.
I delved into the Bible, the Quran, and their more mystical interpretations, often finding passages and concepts that stirred something deep within me—a sense of belonging and solace. These words made me feel part of something far greater than what my physical circumstances suggested. In difficult moments, I would rewrite these verses or repeat them in my prayers.
Choosing playfulness
Combining this spiritual search with the love for fantasy and sci-fi I had developed during my film studies, a project began to take shape. In 2019, I published Memloots – The Exposition, a dystopian novel with spiritual undertones—imagine The Hunger Games meets The Alchemist with aliens feeding on a Star Wars-style Force. It was my way of honouring the teachings I had discovered, but within a fictional world to avoid dogmatism. I wanted these truths to be playful, not heavy.
It was this very sense of playfulness that eventually overcame the darker themes present in Memloots. I came to a vital realisation: it is more important to feel good than to be right. I remember one specific day when I was feeling particularly down until I stopped and thought: This is not who I am. So I picked up a notebook and made a list of the things in my life that actually belonged to my true self. I immediately felt aligned and empowered.
Since The Universe has its own way of guiding a traveller, soon after that experience, it led me to the 'New Thought' movement. I began studying the works of authors such as Neville Goddard, Abraham Hicks, Florence Scovel Shinn, and Joseph Murphy. They spoke exactly to what I was experiencing: how our thoughts and words shape our identity and, ultimately, our reality. They made me understand more clearly the power of affirmations that I had previously stumbled upon.
Through this lens, the joy I once found in ancient texts became more accessible and creatively playful. I realised that when we desire something, what we actually want is the feeling we believe that thing will bring. The beauty is that we can cultivate that emotion now. Like a muscle to be trained or a garden to be watered, we can practice the feeling of our desires every day.
Affirmarelles as a way of life
With my artistic talent still dormant within me, yet eager to spring forth, it finally felt natural to give affirmations a physical form that honoured their power. At last, I knew what to paint.
I started writing them in notebooks, then with brush pens, and eventually with a traditional dip pen. I discovered that dedicating hours to a single affirmation—decorating it, painting around it, and choosing the perfect pigments—forced me to give it importance. Often, we read beautiful words, but they remain "soulless" because we consume them too fast. By spending days on one piece, I allow the essence of the affirmation to soak into my being.
After a year of experimenting with archival materials and techniques, I found the perfect balance of visual depth and spiritual intent. An Affirmarelle (a blend of Affirmation and Aquarelle) is more than a painting. It is a tool for realignment—a reminder that we are the creators of our internal tone, and that by tending to our inner garden with love, we can allow our lives to unfold in a fulfilling way.
