I have been building my new brand for the past few months, and it has been quite an exciting journey of self-exploration and growth.
Athanasia Houvarda
Artist by Accident
You may be thinking that I woke up one day and started splashing paint on a wall randomly and accidentally to create beautiful art.
Unfortunately, my story is different, and my introduction to art could have been more exciting.
In 2001, I watched my life change in one split second.
I was involved in a car accident, and my body suffered 74% of 3rd and 4th-degree burns.
Fragments of my old self while looking in the mirror shattered me. The healthy young girl I once was, became a distant memory.
My rehabilitation was long and arduous, requiring countless surgeries, long hours of physiotherapy, and a lot of inner strength to continue healing. During the long road to recovery, I came close to losing my right hand and foot. When I finally beat the odds of amputations and with one goal in mind, to strengthen my injured hands, I was introduced to the art of embroidery and mosaic, and I also experimented with painting.
Even though painting and drawing were physically painful, I found the process to be a form of mental and emotional therapy.
Bringing to life blank canvasses felt like I was coming back to life myself.
I made a remarkable recovery, like the British Artist Andrian Hill. He coined the term art therapy in 1942 while he was recovering from tuberculosis in a sanatorium by discovering the therapeutic benefits of drawing and painting.
Art is a form of expression that has healing power for our mind, body, spirit, and soul. I love conveying these beautiful feelings to the world. For this reason, I decided to study art therapy, improve my skills and learn ways to help others experience what I have experienced.
I am proud to say I am a certified non clinical Art Therapist!
I have been working on empowering our mental health through the practice of creating art. One of the techniques I teach is mandala painting, through which I guide my audience on a healing journey of awareness, mindfulness, and self-love.
The mandala represents wholeness which begins with everything within and around us, gradually unfolding into the vast universe and all it encompasses.
Sharing my love for life through art fascinates me. I never thought I would become an artist by accident, but it is one of the most precious gifts life has offered me.
Becoming an Artist by Accident has taken me from survivor to thriver.