Meet Claudia Apaid: Mother, Artist, Philanthropist & Healer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Claudia Apaid and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claudia, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by energy, the magic of it’s unfolding and the mystery of source. I am incited by the essence of life, nature ‘s sacredness, culture, colors, patterns, spirit. There is an unseen force that fuels all creation and its process. It connects us to the universe in all of its immensity. Its vibration incites and fuels our being. This activated life force energy creates complex designs which serves both, as a harness to the dwelling place of the self and as a doorway to the hidden fields that connect us to the all. My creations are often an exploration of this space, a metaphor of how the macro and the micro come whole together so preciously and cohesively into a tapestry of wholeness.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Haitian American artist whose designs are inspired by my works of service, spirituality, healing and love of nature. I interweave a variety of mixed media creations in handmade embroideries and metal works, sometimes working alongside artisans from around the globe. My creations are all handcrafted, oftentimes using hand-stitched embroidery and techniques with sequins, crystals, glass beads, precious stones and up cycled metal to create unique pieces. They are highly vibrational pieces charged with Reiki energy and positive intentions with detail precision designed to fill one’s space with elevated frequencies. Complex patterns and cellular structures, both of which represent the universe, are weaved in a way creating a personal connection to all matter. With a focus of the repetitions and patterns found in nature and the spiritual worlds, I explore and document the very nature of life itself and our relationship with it. These uniquely spiritual and luxurious works are often seen and used as decorative arts initially but in time can transition as mandalas when a deeper connection occurs within the beholder. When consciously used, the subjects serve as a transcendental tool to interconnect, transmute and help attain well-being. Some of the pieces work to address specific chakras of the observer, help them find their flow and serve them as reminders of their intentions. My favorite thing is to create custom pieces for collectors after hearing their personal challenges and objectives to give them a product designed just for them based on their need. Using the power of color therapy, crystal therapy, reiki and goddess archetypes the piece not only serve as a beautiful artwork but also as healing tools. I am excited to have finally launched my wearable art clutch bag collection and I am looking to expand on that with more custom merchandise options. I am very curious to explore new mediums of creations as well, not wanting to box myself into a one specific art medium. I did an art Installation with candles at my last exhibit and am looking forward to doing more. This past summer I also did an intimate art /nature/ wellness camp for kids in my own garden and loved it so much that I have decided to develop it into a more longterm project. The possibilities are limitless, and that has me excited. The road was not easy, it was long, full of obstacles and challenges. It took me 10 years to birth my art. Graduating in fashion design, my plan was to make a luxury handbag collection but no matter what I tried, the project could not come through. In hindsight I now understand that I needed to go through my healing journey first, be of service first, and create transcendental art first. It was through my journey of finding how to make these bags that all these things were born and evolved into my successes. It was only after I launched my art career that I was I able to meet the right people and complete the bag project. Art Basel 2019, I launched my wearable art clutch bag line and it was a success. Along the way I was met with a lot of dead ends, discouragement and negativity from others and even myself but learned a great deal in the process. Trusting the journey, consciously choosing to find the positive in all arising situations and reacting from a centered space was one of my most valuable lessons. At last things did not go in the order I had planned in my mind, but now I know everything happens in divine order and timing. I learned that passion and unrelenting drive are powerful tools and must come from within. I have learned to be my own source of fueling power. I learned to find ways to connect to things that are bigger than me and pull from them; such as self care practices, nature, service and spirit. One of my favorite ways of empowering myself was to connect and learn about the divine feminine. Using goddess archetypes from all cultures to pull & inspire from to embody the Goddess within. The self assertion of my power, learning to cultivate my own sacred space within and finding the practices and tools that resonated with me was the game changer for me. My story is a testament that if you pay it forward, trust the journey, honor your truth, quash the fears, feed your passions, embody your power and always come from a place of love and positivity the magic flows and life becomes an exciting gift.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Miami, for me it’s all about the beach, I used to live in Sunny Isles and the beach was my backyard and sanctuary. Sunny isles is my favorite one because of the sandbar and the clear waters. At night on full moons don’t miss drum circle in surfside. If you are an early riser don’t miss sunrise sessions in south beach on 3rd street on Friday mornings. My soundhealing teacher, Jared Bistrong does donation based sunrise sound healing seasons on the beach that are a must. I love going in nature and outdoor spaces the are quiet and peaceful some of my favs are the Fairchild Botanical Gardens, the Deering Estate, The Ancient Spanish Monastery, Tree Top Park and Oleta state spark. For you to get your healing on I would recommend Modern Om in Buena Vista, Inhale Miami, Flow state studios. For Art my go to are the Pam museum, the Frost museum, The Bass and Little Haiti’s cultural center. Wynwood and its walls to grab a bite, explore murals and snap pics of yourself into the art. The Standard spa to relax and grab a drink is nice but the spa at the Carillon is on another wellness level. Being a Vegetarian since the age of 8 and being foodie I would take them to all the best plant based spots! My new favorite is PLANTA QUEEN in coconut grove. Other good ones are Planta Miami, Holi cafe, Love life cafe, Thatch Miami, Full Bloom vegan. Sunday brunch at Biltmore hotel in the gables or at Cecconi’s in South Beach is always good. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family is big part of who I am and how far I have come. Their support, guidance and love have been essential in my path and life. I honor my ancestors that have climbed the hills for me to walk freely today to have the power of choice. Shoutout to my daughter Isabella for being my soulmate, inspiration, drive and favorite human. My path to success took a village and I am in deep gratitude for so many along the way. Growing up in Haiti, I was taught by my grandmother Florence that it was my moral responsibility to help others that were not as fortunate as I was. She often took me on aid distributions with her, giving me a taste of purpose and teaching me the value of service. Once my daughter Isabella was born, I quickly understood that I needed to leave this world a better place for her, she was the fueling flame that made me understand that collective wellbeing is essential for the future of all wellbeing. Shortly after, I decided that I needed to take action and start a vessel to serve vulnerable orphan children of Haiti that had no one to look after them and thus started my nonprofit, SOW A SEED. I rallied friends, mothers, children, business, my network and my community to join me in this effort and with everyone’s help we build a volunteer based foundation that has served over 2 million people thus far. This foundation and it’s people inspire me on a daily, nourishes my soul and keeps me a positive empowering and purposeful energetic space. Special shoutout to my community, my team of Sassettes, especially Sandrine, Michele, Dayana, Joanne, Pierre, Marilyn, Christie, Caroline, Rachele, Anaise, Gladys, Daphnee & Nadeige. On the art side of my life, my mom, Nariman is a painter along with my aunt Jeanne Rigaud, I watched them paint together as a child and was fascinated watching them be in flow and translate inspiration to tangible visual delights. My high school art teacher, Solange Gentil for her colorful art lessons encouraged me to abandon fear when creating and cultivate my intuition and imagination. My mother’s good friend, Janet, was a fashion designer and I would spend many days in her studio making what I could from fabric scraps. I even started a scrunchy business at the age of 9 and it was the first time I understood that I could produce income from my creativity. My father, Claude, whose business was textile manufacturing also influenced me as I would go to his factories and get lost on the giant production floors and dream away at the possibilities. Being around fashion, textile, art lead me to go study Fashion Design in college. Although I had started creating art I was fearful and reluctant to show and share my works with the world because of my own insecurities. My sister in law Kathryne visited me and saw some of my works and took charge by encouraging me to launch my first show at an event she was throwing in Haiti. I was terrified to put myself out there and the whole time I was preparing for this and pushing myself, I would blast this empowering song from the Greatest Showman movie soundtrack called This is me sung by Keala Settle. Shoutout to her and the songwriters : Justin Paul / Benj Pasek for creating this uplifting tune. I was moved through music to march to the beat of my own drums that day. The show was a huge success and I sold out of my works. That fear of putting myself out there was conquered and my art career was born. Many successful shows followed and I asserted myself in my light. Shoutout to my brother, Chris who created my website for me and manages it so that I can constantly share my creations with the digital world. I would like to also shoutout some people in the art sector that have encouraged, guided and worked with me like Loretta Matodes, Valris, Philippe Dodard, Mimi Gonzales, my Muce 305 family, Anita Jilani, David Greene, Ignace Hage and the late Peter Eikstein. On the healing side of my journey, I was always intuitive as a child and was always trying to understand my sort of sixth sense. I would read a lot and came across this amazing book called The Four Agreements that changed my life. I also studied books by Osho, Deepak Chopra, Rumi, Ram Dass, Eckhart Tolle, Lao tzu. In parallel times, my cousin, Aileen got very sick with cancerous brain tumor and I started to dabble in natural ways of healing with energy and nature to try to help her. I attended a wellness expo and discovered reiki, kundalini, chakras, sacred geometry, alchemy, crystal therapy and soundhealing. I threw myself into this world and went on to study as a Reiki Master. I met a healer called Jaime Izquierdo and he encouraged me to follow my healing path, start practicing and merge that with my art to have all my worlds meet. I felt I needed to share the knowledge in the only way that I knew how by incorporating these themes into my Art. The process was very organic and things flowed into a new reality. My creations are fused with reiki vibrations and centered around healing, spirituality, nature and surrounding themes. Art with soul, meaning and purpose. This combination adds depth to my works while allowing me to spread healing and give back. I donate part of the proceeds to my foundation and other charities through the sales of the artworks making all come full circle. Last shoutout is to Christian Fombrun, my partner in love for being one of my biggest cheerleaders, personal curator and supporter of all.

Website: http://www.claudiaapaid.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apaidart/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-apaid-9599b135/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apaidart
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/sascharity
Other: http://sowaseedonline.org https://www.instagram.com/sowaseed/ https://www.instagram.com/claudiaapaid/ https://www.instagram.com/reconnectivetherapies/

Image Credits
Ignace Hage, Isabella Apaid Prato, Shakira Baboun