If you're lucky, you'll meet a few people in life who make you stop in your tracks. A person whose energy draws you in. An individual whose sheer happiness, hunger and excitement for life is contagious. For me, Nina Parys is one of these people.
I first met Nina in 2014 in Los Angeles. ArtCrasher was hosting its first LA gallery show and Nina was a participating artist. She walked into the gallery with a huge smile and embraced me when she dropped off her artwork."I'm so happy to be here!",she exclaimed. Nina had traveled from Paris with her husband for the show. It was her first time in California and the excitement was all over her face. Not even a language barrier could hold her back. Nina walked around the gallery and made friends with everyone she met as her proud husband took photos of her in front of her artwork. I remember stepping back and watching Nina and her husband make their way around the gallery. I remember thinking "Here were two people who wear their love for each other on their sleeves. They wholeheartedly support each other."
The power of social media is a funny thing. A simple application and a computer screen enables us to maintain friendships and relationships with a click of a button. Communication traveling to the other side of the world at lightning speed. When I find myself in a slump, I'll check out Nina's Instagram. The same happiness, energy and excitement she greeted me with in Los Angeles nearly 2 years ago still shines through her photos. There are posts of she and her family, ecstatic with laughter as they play in the snow. Other photos show her at gallery openings and workshops. At every gallery opening she is smiling ear to ear as if every opening is her very first gallery showing.
I've met many successful, forgetful, people in the last five years. They forget to slow down and enjoy the 'in between moments'. While ambition is great, sometimes being a deer in headlights with a set goal can turn you blind. Nina is someone who reminds you that the moments along a winding road to your dreams can be just as sweet (if not sweeter!) than the final outcome.
Nina, merci de partager votre passion, votre talent et votre amour pour la vie!
To learn more about Nina and her work, you can check out her Instagram.
