Hmmm... as you can see, its been a while since my last blog entry ~ the last being just before i left magical world of Martinique and returned to Paris. This is where and when i lost all of my senses, my head, my heart, myself & what felt like and was my entire world - everything simply came CRASHING down hard and fast from being so crazy high, and so far from reality... Out of NO WHERE - my husband decided to goodbye, up & leave...
:-( Poof just like that - "I don't want to be married any more", BANG, thank you very much... & he was gone...
I can not even begin to try and explain how l felt and the turmoil of events that followed - it was the most shocking & darkest period of my life which l barely remember, but at the same time, imprinted on my bones... l honestly can not believe that lm sitting here right now, where l am today, still fumbling a little & hicupping along - but oh, so much closer to the former 'golden' version of myself, soooooo much closer than the millions of pieces of god knows what, smeared across the floor and on the sole of 'his' shoe...
Where to even begin!?!? Gosh l have no clue - so l thought why not by reposting the 'GRATITUDE' article that i wrote for a beautiful blog called 'Believe, Hope, Dream'. That should catch us all up to speed pretty damn quick - and then we can swiftly carry with the much yummier parts of Soul Stories? :-)
Until next 'Soul Stories' entry lovely peeps, grab a cuppa & enjoy the read ~ i truly hope it brings you a little light, hope and above all gratitude xxx much lov t.
Hello, my name is Tams. Whilst l find it difficult to get my critical dancer head around the thought of calling myself a ‘writer’ – l guess l do agree on the fact that l have a ‘bit of a’ special way with words. These wonderful words have fallen into the shape of what l call ‘Soul Stories’ and, let me tell you, l am eternally grateful for how far they have come - from words that I once hid away, only for myself to read - to now being illustrated, produced and sold to incredible souls around the world. Of course I still have a lot of work to do & dreams to pursue with Soul Stories – but I honestly believe that they would not have left my notebook without my simple gratitude towards compassionate & talented people in & out of my life along the way.
It’s funny how much you can achieve with just the simple awareness of gratitude and how much strength it can have… And guess what, it's something that comes at absolutely no cost! Crazy huh? :-)
During this last year, Soul Stories has accelerated like l never could have imagined, and whilst l would probably run out of room naming everyone who has helped me over this journey and expressing my endless amount of thanks - I would like to tell you a little story that made me stop to realize how priceless & powerful gratitude can be – to be understood, accepted and passed back on in beautiful ways that can never be sold for any amount of money.
A year ago I found myself in so many millions of pieces that I believed no amount of glue could ever put me back together again with the shocking decision of my dearly loved husband walking out, followed by my incredible mum being diagnosed with the big C and of course being more than a million miles away from my loving & supportive family. Just after working with a wonderful German photographer by the name of Klaus Kampert, I found my way back to my little Parisian apartment very alone and very lost despite an endless amount of hands volunteering to pull me out of my daily blur.
A few months prior to my massive mess, my mum had been asking me to somehow contribute to her special photography & craft stall (back in my little hometown) that would take place in November 2011. Of course, she was referring to my Soul Stories, which by then was only evolving as far as text and illustrations in my notebook & a small group on Facebook. So once I learnt of her disease, l decided to kick my butt into gear & approach my lovely next door neighbor (who just so happened to be a fab graphic designer) to develop a few of my Soul Stories into the creation of gift cards. I could only hope that this project would save my mum and somehow myself at the same time.
From that point onwards, it was the unraveling birth of Soul Stories, something to hold, something to be given and something that could be sold to have a little money put straight back into my company (oh yes! my new full fledged Soul Stories Company) to develop a tiny bit further into the direction of my new dreams.
My amazing graphic artist friend, Gin Pineau, has gracefully helped me breathe so much life into Soul Stories - so much work, that I could never repay her, other than my continuous string of thanks. She has encouraged me to keep true to the integrity of Soul Stories, so that they continue to find their way into the hearts of those who are unconsciously & consciously in need of them most. And she's right, there is nothing more breathtaking than seeing the reactions of people's faces after receiving their Soul Stories or reading their touching words about how much they have been effected by something l have created.
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| Enough Love |
Not so long ago, my incredible photographer friend Klaus Kampert was back in touch with me, asking to work together on his next project. They say we can't go backwards in life - only forwards, so instead of accepting his proposal of payment to model, I said something along the lines of - how many humble people have helped me push Soul Stories in the right direction and how I could never repay them, other than giving it back to others in some kind of artistic way. Well, Holy Smoke Batman! The results that were created from this wonderful photographer-model collaboration speak for themselves (please don't hesitate to pop over to his beautiful website, l'm sure you will understand).
We both couldn't stop saying thank you to each other in 100 different ways. This was the scenario that made me realize how wonderful gratitude is and how you can move mountains with it and create the most beautiful and artistic pieces that you probably never imagine possible.
My Soul Stories have given me such new love, passion and focus in life. I never would have guessed that they would have the power of pulling me up from the depth of my despairs – whilst teaching me along the way that l can truly help & indulge others with my artistic creations. This is my absolute reward, which touches me deeply & continues my healing process.
So, to all of those who have taken a little time to listen to me waffle on about how grateful l am for every soul's contribution for the growth of Soul Stories, l'm giving away a very new & large Soul Stories wall print called ‘Thank You’, as a little reminder that it doesn't take much to be thankful in life, to hang onto the things that make you truly passionate, despite whatever kind of crisis you are going through. All of my love, light and laughter (Oh, and gratitude, of course, hehe) ~ All of my big love, lov tams xx
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| 'Thank You' Giveaway Print |
PS: And, of course, a ‘massive’ thanks to my inspiring Wonderwoman mum. She is the one that gave me the real awakening to really ‘MOVE’ my heavy heart last year. I only hope l can do the same in return and continue to keep her strong on her courageous & constant battle right now. She is my forever Soul Story that fuels me, encourages me, teaches me & surrounds me…
I love her more that words could ever be written down on paper… xxx
A Bit About Tams & Soul Stories:
Soul Stories are insightful creations that pull out the sensitive
& vulnerable pieces of your soul.
Each Story is carefully written to help you remember how ingrained or forgotten moments can be turned into something beautiful for you to read. An artist, dancer & writer, Tams is working hard to return all of the wonderful stories
in some kind of magical way or another.
She lives somewhere in the middle of Paris, along with her fluffy bum cat Rigsby & eats at least 14 banana’s every day. There she loves to wander around the old Latin Quarter & continues to dream & be inspired by beautiful souls & their stories. If you are interested in taking a sneaky peak at Tams art pieces in progress,
check out her Soul Stories website at:
www.soul-stories.com .
For any reason, drop Tams a message at:
tams@soul-stories.com
Thank You so much, Tams for sharing your beautiful story with us, and for this exciting and generous GiveAway! Contest is open until Friday, November 10th at 9PM PST. Be sure to hop over Tams' Website and her Facebook group. Find your favorite Soul Story, then come back over to BHD to tell us in the Comments which is your favorite. All comments will be entered to win the Large Scale "THANK YOU" Soul Stories print and will be selected by Random Number Generator. Thanks bunches, and Good Luck! XO, Tiffany
http://www.believehopedream.com/2012/11/soul-stories-giveaway-winner-studio-tour.html
