Nadia Lloyd in a skirt from her collection
Painting and photography by Nadia Lloyd
My name is Nadia Lloyd, I'm a self taught abstract artist, designer and event planner. In 2010 I sold my fitness boutique studio in the east end, picked up a paintbrush and started painting for the first time. It quickly became a passion and obsession and a full-time venture. By 2012 I started printing my art on different textiles to experiment with various home decor and fashion accessory products. I had a wish and desire to make my art functional, accessible and affordable, and I couldn't think of a better way than to print it on a pillow or a pair of leggings or skirt, so that's what I did! After a few years of experimenting I have four primary collections including cushion covers, scarves, leggings and skirts. My cushions and abstract art have been carried by retail stores such as Casalife and UpCountry and my scarves are available at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Gift Shop in Kleinburg.
My collections and original abstract art are all available online at www.nadialloyd.com.
When I'm not painting and designing, I'm event planning. In June 2013, I ran an event I called the Liberty Village Art Crawl. I gathered 45 artists, 2 food trucks and a DJ at Liberty Park in Liberty Village for a full day of sun, food, shopping and catching up with friends and neighbors while supporting local artists and artisans. The event was hugely successful, went without a hitch and was very well received by the community.
Following the event I was approached by other community leaders asking me to organize a similar event in their local communities, an offer I could not resist, and within months I became a full time event planner!
Before I knew it, I had 5 annual events happening in three separate locations on an annual basis, and it was time to form a parent company that would oversee all of the events. That is when Toronto Art Crawl was born, in the early months of 2014. Since then, Toronto Art Crawl has been named "Top 10 outdoor art fairs to attend in Toronto" 2 years in a row by BlogTO (2014-2015) and has been presented by Cirque Du Soleil Luzia, Varekai and Toruk (2015-2016) and sponsored by companies such as BMW, Mill Street Brewery, Zipcar Toronto, Investor's Group to name a few. So needless to say, you NEVER know how a tiny idea can grow into something way bigger than yourself!
Even though it can sometimes be challenging to juggle art, design and event planning on a daily basis, the three are true labours of love, and I get so much joy and energy from them - it feels like play more than work.
My advice on harnessing creativity is just to be as creative as possible, as often as possible. I find the more I create, the more I create. I've come to the point where I need to create on a daily basis in one form or another.
People often tell me that they're not creative, and I don't believe that one bit. I didn't discover my creativity till I was 35! I never went to art school and didn't really paint as a kid. So this was a truly strange yet welcome discovery for me. And it can happen to anyone. So my advice is like Nike says, JUST DO IT! Get out there and create. Do what ever makes your heart sing.
www.instagram.com/nadialloydart