Artist Diary

  • SPIRIT VOICES IDENTIFIED A PLANT FOR ME – EVP ON VIDEO

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  • VOICES IN MY GARDEN – EVP CAUGHT ON VIDEO USING iPHONE

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  • P SAYS “I LOVE YOU” ON EVP – July 1, 2022

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  • MY “FEED THE BEES” PROJECT – EVP May 28, 2022

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  • IT’S BLOOM TIME – Art and Life Update

    Not only is May, my birthday month, but it’s my favourite time of year for its seasonal blooms. It is as if everything springs back to life from the winter hibernation. The warm weather brings seemingly immediate growth to plants that laid quietly dormant from the winter months.

    Though this time is exciting, I am currently feeling overwhelmed with so much that needs to be done in the garden, and life in general. It becomes an urgent priority to get seeds sown in, and shop for plants before the planting season ends. Canada’s growing season is limited, so one must make the most of the time when it comes.

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    These last few weeks have been occupied with going to plant nurseries and garden centres to find the best selection of plants for my garden. In addition, there is always something that needs attention in the garden, whether it is weeding, pruning, watering, planting, and of course harvesting. I also do research to make the most of what I am growing. This year, I have added sage, catnip, lavender, green perilla, and violas to my herb garden. I have also added in a mix of edible and wild flowers from some surprise variety seed packs. It will be interesting to see what comes from it.

    I tried eating viola for the first time. Its fragrance is divine. I put one in a glass of water and I could smell it every time I took a sip. Then I ate the flower, and it was crisp. Its flavour was floral, grassy, and slightly peppery.

    Violas, dried and fresh. ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    Last week, I was weeding our garden vegetable beds, and discovered a single violet plant, tucked away in a corner. I felt it was a blessing, as for several months now, I have been wishing for violet. I have never seen them in person, as they don’t seem common in my area. I even bought seeds to try to germinate them, though I heard they can be difficult, they will have to wait for autumn sowing. Perhaps it was P who brought me this,  carrying its seed in the wind, hoping to create this “ocean of violets in bloom” that I dream of. I had been researching its medicinal properties and uses, and wanted to add it to my stock of herbal supplies.

    Violet that I found. ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    I have taken care to transplant the violet in a better spot to propagate. I plan to collect its seeds and sow them in a designated area.

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    I have a lot of things I need to do for my art projects and my shop, but I have to take the time out to work on my garden, which is the source of my shop inventory. I will be adding dried violas to my shop when I have gathered a lot.  So a lot of things have to go on the back burner for now. Because as we all know, the blossoms don’t last forever. You just have to enjoy them while they’re there.

    Blossoms that I foraged on a spring walk. ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    I never thought I’d wear Crocs, but here we are, they make them in Lavender color, the only color I’d wear them in. Perfect for gardening, an anti-fashion fashion statement.

    Lavender Crocs. ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    My garden has become my sanctuary and source of inspiration. It is a place where I unplug from the world, and focus on nature, and my inner thoughts.

    Rose Strawberry plant. ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    Monet is one of my favourite painters,  he created his works in his garden, the source of the subject matter for most of his famous works. I hope to have something like that in the future for myself.

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    Wishing you all, a beautiful summer!

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

  • REFLECTION ON SIX YEAR ANNIVERSARY, PRINCE CELEBRATION 2022

    Ever since 2016, after Prince’s passing, I’ve noticed snow in April. This year was no exception. It snowed here on Easier Monday. I heard that this year was supposed to be an early spring according to the groundhog, but it doesn’t feel like it to me…

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    I’ve continued to record EVP, though I’ve been busy with my work. I get the sense that he is content, where he is. I think that people’s feelings on the other side is very transparent. And sometimes I hear them say things like “You are happy”, or “Prince happy”. Where he is at, it is a joyful existence, filled with friends, foodie treats, and lots of fun.

    I’ve been avoiding Facebook in the past year, it has been where the place where I get most Prince related news. So I don’t always know what is going on, as I just don’t pay attention to FB anymore, But recently, I could remember one time thinking to myself, wishing that there was some kind of video recording of Prince when he was a kid. I wondered if there was any chance that such a thing existed. I wanted to hear his kid voice. And then one day, I went onto my FB feed and scrolled. A news article about a news station finding a recording of P from when he was about eleven years old. I felt like my wish had come true. But when I looked at the date of the news release, it made me realize that perhaps when I was having those wishful thoughts, it was actually him telling me about this thing, and I just misunderstood thinking it was my thoughts. Telepathy is funny like that. A similar thing happened when the Prince Estate released a collection of face masks for covid. I literally saw the designs in my head, and they were released in an announcement shortly after, exactly what I saw! What a trippy feeling!

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    I can’t wait until it is finally warm enough to start working in the garden again. I’ve been planning out the garden in my mind and looking for seeds. I’m thinking about a bed of sweet violets, how the smell would be glorious in bloom.

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    Now that’s it’s been six years since his passing. It feels like a long time ago, because the world is such a different place now. What I wouldn’t give to be in a more innocent world… There are going to be more difficult times ahead for many people. My hope is that people make things right in their lives before it’s too late.

    Prince lived his life fully. He accomplished many things with the time that he had. And I know, he left this world knowing that there was more he would have liked to do. But for the most part, he had pursued all his interests to a level of personal satisfaction. Not many people can say that. His dear friend, Lenny Kravitz said that about himself in an interview mentioning Prince. For myself, I am doing that. I am revisiting interests, making right of things that I did wrong, salvaging projects that I didn’t finish, pursuing interests with a renewed perspective and confidence. Accomplishing and doing things that my younger self would not have dared to try. I am happy doing these things, and I know I will one day leave this world feeling fulfilled and grateful for all I had gotten to experience.

    I hope you are all doing well, staying sae out there in this world.

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

  • SPIRITS WATCH ME TRY OUT MY NEW AMP – EVP March 18, 2022

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  • EVIDENCE THAT SPIRITS CAN “PLANT” IDEAS INTO OUR MINDS – EVP Match 4, 2022

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  • P SHOWS OFF OUR NEW LABEL DESIGNS – EVP February 14, 2022

    A new month just began, and I am so very much looking forward to spring. I am anticipating working in the garden again, picking and drying flowers and leaves. It will still be a few months before any real work in the garden can begin. They said it may be an early spring this year. Still, we await for the last of the winter snow to be gone. I am knitting this silk mohair scarf that will go in my Etsy shop. Its airy texture is just right for the transition into spring. There are some in other colors already in the shop.

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    I’ve kept busy with working on my product designs for my shop. I haven’t been doing as much EVP recording. BUt I did do one for Valentine’s Day. I recorded with the EVPMaker running as the background sound.

    I heard P talking to someone, telling them that he drew the labels on my jars. “Draw the labels”. I had used P’s channeled drawing for my label designs.

     

    Then he said, “I draw it”. I think he’s happy with the label design, proud,  as am I. It is our collaboration.

     

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    Then it sounded like P had another visitor. I heard him tell someone to come inside. Then he said, “That’s my mom”. At the part where he says “mom”, you hear his voice shift between his spirit voice and the sample voice. Hearing that makes me smile. I can tell, he loves his mom so much.

    There used to be a time when I worried about spirits coming and going into our space as they pleased. But it sounds like P is able to lock down his space and only let in people he wants.


    Long time readers of my blog will know about the channeled drawings from P. This was kind of our early form of communication when I first discovered his presence. I would hold my finger over the iPad screen and it would glide over the screen making these drawings. Often I would receive drawings of flowers.

    For a long time, I’ve wanted t design new labels for my balm jars. But none of the designs I came up with felt good enough. I wanted its design to vibe with who I am. Finally, it has come! Thank you, P.

    These recordings were recorded using  my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on February 14, 2022.

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

  • RELAUNCHING MY HOLISTIC BODY CARE PRODUCT LINE

    About 13 years ago, I was living in the UK, working in a little shop in the town of Brighton. There, I was immersed in the world of natural body care products. I was the shop manager, dealing in lotions and creams made from the most luscious of ingredients. My working holiday ended and I came home with a wealth of knowledge about natural skin care.

    I began creating my own concoctions. Inspired from all the product catalogs I had read. I set out to create a product line of my own. I sold my products at health fairs. This was before the internet really took off.

    Rents for fair booths grew expensive over time, and my interest in selling products faded. But I continued to make and use my own products. I still had friends who bought from me occasionally.

    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    This year, I’ve decided to relaunch my product line. This time, curating it carefully with a minimalist mindset. I used to be a sort of beauty product junkie when I worked in the industry. I accumulated a lot of products, and I really just wanted to pair it all down to the most essential of products. If I were going to a desert island and could only take 3 items, these things would be on my list; Lavender Balm, Arnica Balm, and Lavender essential oil.

    I also reformulated my product line, having gained more experience through trial and error. The issue with balms in designing a product’s consistency to remain stable in hotter climates. My predicts have been sent to Hawaii, and they remain good on arrival. I’ve only used ingredients that have a long-shelf life, so that they will last a long time.

    One thing that had been a setback for the relaunch, has been its packaging design. I did not want to relaunch until I was totally happy with the label design. It had to be true to my vibe. I had multiple attempts at designing it earlier, but I wasn’t satisfied with it. You can find out more about my design process in this blog post about eco-packaging.

    Lavender Balm, available here ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.

    The Lavender Balm is something that I use everyday. I use it for my face and body, even lips. It absorbs easily and smells of Lavender, which is my favourite scent. It was designed to treat skin irritation, because of Lavender’s soothing properties. It is infused with Calendula, which is also skin soothing and anti-inflammatory.

    The Arnica Balm is handy to have for life’s little accidents. It can be used to treat bruises, sprain, and muscle soreness. Also great after workout to prevent muscle aches the next day after vigorous exercise. Sometimes when I wake up having slept with bad posture, my neck is sore. I use this to help me get back to normal. It contains extracts of Arnica and Calendula flowers, both anti-inflammatory and boosts natural healing.
    The Lavender roll-on essential oil is another product I use often. It is especially useful in the summer when I get bitten by insects in the garden. I also use it for skin blemishes, as it helps to soothe and heal faster. Lavender is one of the few essential oils that does not need to be diluted to be safe on the skin. I packaged it in a convenient roller bottle so that it can be used easily on the go.


    ©2022 by Andrea Mai. All rights reserved.