Coração De Corda (string heart), was hand drawn by Bárbara Dantas Amaral, a Brazilian artist who I lived with for a month in an eco-village in Bahia, Brazil. I was on what some might call an ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ style journey which ended up being crucial to me being able to hear my own inner guide and become more life, rather than crowd, directed.
I had been hearing about this eco-village from lots of friends in Sao Paulo and without doing much (any) research I made my way there. It turned out accommodation had to be pre-booked, so when I landed fresh off the evening boat that took newcomers there, I had nowhere to spend the night. Barbara was quick to offer me her room on that first night and we eventually ended up renting out a sweet little house together.
I was toying with the idea of a tattoo to mark big life transitions I was going through at the time and commissioned Bárbara to draw ‘something’, trusting that she had come to know me enough to create something representative. And this is what she drew. It’s an image that has been with me for 7 years now, always on my desk or window, reminding me of the power of connecting to heart and the beautiful field of inviting presence that can transmit.
I hope to do more work with Bárbara to illustrate my website. You can check out more of her work on Instagram – @badnt
