Dear readers of Il Mio Salotto, I am Michela Deidda

Today we thought we would introduce you to something different. Today we leave the word directly to the artist, who will tell you about herself, her art, and her journey, through a letter to you.

We loved it. Happy reading!

"Dear reader of "Il Mio Salotto",

I thank you in advance for your presence in this space and for taking the time to read this letter. I hope with all my heart that my words, my story, and my message will resonate with you too.

I would also like to thank Francesca and Ilaria for warmly welcoming me into this beautiful art project, in which I immediately agreed to participate.

I will introduce myself briefly, or at least try to.

Nice to meet you. I am Michela. Class of 1986. Nomad inside. A very atypical Capricorn ascendant since many astrological aspects of my birth chart are in the water element. Just like water, I like to describe my life as a flow, a stream that has taken me from Sardinia, where I was born, to England first and then, passing through Asia, to Australia.

In the magical and sacred land of Australia, I discovered parts of myself that I did not know at all. Landing on a tourist visa in Sydney in December 2018, just in time to celebrate my first Christmas and birthday (on the 28th) in summer temperatures, I spent my first year and a half in Australia here. Despite Sydney being an amazing city by the sea, I soon discovered that I had been carried away by the current of the usual routine and realized how much this was no longer in line with my soul. It reminded me of the time when London began to get too tight for me. I began to feel ill and alternated between states of enthusiasm and moments of deep depression. Nature too, with the fires that raged for months, pushed me to look further, to search beyond my own for the true Australian soul, the one that had led me to move to the land of kangaroos. Returning from an on-the-road trip to Queensland, I realized how much I missed traveling and discovering new places, the lifeblood of my Essence. Having completed my studies in Social Media Marketing, I then decided to spend the last two months I had left in Australia in its wildest state, Western Australia.

It was March 2020. While people in Italy were starting to talk about Covid, I began the most important journey of my life, the one within myself, the spiritual one, without even understanding it at the time. I felt enveloped by the energy I had never experienced and I was very grateful. It was as if the Universe was showing me the way, the way to myself, my 'personal legend' (the one mentioned in 'The Alchemist'), and my dharma. The lockdown forced me to finally stop, slow down and take care of myself. At that moment, I tried to meditate daily and it was then when my mind began to quiet down that a strong intuition manifested. As if by magic, I began to draw freehand mandalas within the Australian shape. This first creation represents the beginning of my artistic journey. I have not stopped since.

TUNDALA, the artistic name of the brand I am bringing to light, intuitively came like a rainbow after a storm. I always knew I was a creative person but until then I had not realized my natural gifts.

Tundu in Sardinian means circle, which, as you know, is the basis for the creation of every mandala. The term mandala, likewise, means circle in Sanskrit and symbolizes the Universe. The circular design represents the cyclical nature of life, the idea that it never ends, and that everything is connected.

Tundala allows me to channel and shape my creativity and the message I wish to bring to the world. In fact, after years of living constantly projected into the future but also mulling over the past, this creative mindfulness practice guides me, awakening my inner child, which I have let slumber for too long, to live in the here and now, living fully in the present moment. Do you know that it is actually the only one available to us? For the past is past and the future does not yet exist. Both, in fact, are nothing but an illusory projection of our minds. My art wants to energetically compress the past and the future into the present, allowing the emotions of that one moment to be intuitively imprinted in the work I am called upon to create.

This is precisely why I always intuitively feel a twofold call. On the one hand, I wish to freely express my creativity by making for the sheer pleasure of doing so for all those who will be drawn to it. And on the other hand, I would like my art to become a channel of self-healing for all those who, like me, experience moments of stress, because I strongly believe that the well-being of each individual can bring well-being to the community and to humanity as a whole. We are, in fact, interconnected to each other, as sacred geometry, my great ally, also teaches.

In what way? Through creative mindfulness. The benefits of mindfulness are well known. I let myself be carried away by creative mindfulness because it combines my talents, and my passions and keeps my curiosity alive, bringing harmony and balance to my everyday life. Mandalas in particular are a very powerful tool used by different cultures around the world, from Buddhist monks to Hindus and the Navajo culture to name but a few. If it helped and changed my life, why couldn't it have the same effect on yours?

I have experienced first-hand how centered and rooted in ourselves is the starting point of our conscious journey on this earthly plane. I imagine every human being as an articulate, unique, and unrepeatable mandala. At the center is our true Essence and all around is our personal baggage. Our roots, the experiences we have and the awareness we gain during our evolution on this Earth. All this makes us and our Life a unique creation that, if it follows the flow of its Nature and potential, will bring forth a harmonious and balanced mandala, because that is exactly what we are. But it all starts from the center. From ourselves. So by returning to that center we can then harmonize all aspects of our existence.

Personally, embarking on this creative journey has gradually brought me back and aligned me with my deeper nature, my Higher Self, that little inner voice that is inside all of us and that we often tend not to listen to for fear of confronting it and its demons. But it is precisely by losing ourselves in the shadows, by embracing the temporary darkness it brings, that we are able to rediscover parts of us that we were probably not even aware of. Parts of us that, like a sudden bucket of cold water, give us a way to take our Life in hand again and make it a masterpiece because yes, it is you, and you alone, who is the architect of your destiny. It is you who, with free will, can choose, change, transform, and evolve into what you are here to be, but which due to external conditioning and society you may have repressed.

I often say that through my intuitive creations I create connections between me and my subconscious first of all, but also between me and those who are fascinated at first sight. Considering that my artistic journey began thanks to signs traced by the Universe on my path, I like to think that I magically make myself a channel and messenger of something bigger than ourselves: the Universe. Like the Universe itself, the only constant in my artistic journey is knowing that my art is in a constant state of becoming and therefore evolving with me without ever being an end in itself.

This artistic initiation also allowed me to keep my lifeblood alive by continuing to travel and dream with my imagination when the World was forced to stop threatening our freedom for two years and forcing me to stay away from home and my family for three years straight. It was during that time that I began to create what I christened Mandala Map and Animal Mandala. Australia, Sardinia, New Zealand, Alaska, and Crete are some of the Mandala Maps I have made so far. I plan to create Mandala Maps for all the countries of the world and travel through my eyes or those of people who feel drawn to my art form. Knowing that my works travel to places in the world that I have not yet explored and look forward to doing is extremely rewarding.

I feel strongly inspired by the sea, nature in general, and all the experiences that have left an indelible mark on my memory. I tell of freedom. I tell of love and its connections. I tell of the beauty that my eyes and yours have seen. I tell your story. I like to tell through mandalas the journey, metaphorically and otherwise. The journey that starts with yourself and embraces the whole world. Because if you don't allow yourself to explore the infinite possibilities that Life can offer you, how do you expect Life to open up to you in all the fullness you deserve just by existing? If you do not take charge of your life, how do you expect it to lead you to your true Essence? And if you do not return to your center, how do you expect to live an abundant life in harmony and balance with those around you wherever you are?

We are creatures of Nature and as such to enjoy harmony and balance we need to center ourselves in the present and then open ourselves with more awareness to the outside world and Life itself. The center of the mandala, from which everything starts and to which everything reaches, is the center of our soul, where we find love, gratitude, and energy. By creating I allow myself this very moment, I allow myself to live the here and now in full gratitude, connecting to the most authentic part of myself, the part that has decided to surrender to its own Nature and enjoy its fruits.

My intuitive art is for dreamers, explorers, visionaries, travelers, for those who find the courage to lose themselves and find themselves again in order to then fly with their own wings towards a life in harmony with their own nature and the flow of Life. But also to those who need the drive to do so.

Of all the things I have written, I would like you to be left with at least this message: The center of your personal mandala is you, always and only you. It is there that your essence is contained. But you can enrich your mandala constantly. Because you are in the process of becoming. So explore, lose yourself, fall in love, and fully and gratefully experience the Earth that hosts you every moment of your passage.

Do you know what the most beautiful thing in the world is?

THE WORLD!

"We are all visitors in this time and place. Our purpose here is to observe, learn, grow and love... and then return home." Australian Aboriginal proverb.

If you've made it this far, wow congratulations. I hope I haven't bored you too much. I am an artist so I don't have the gift of brevity, forgive me. If something resonated with you I am happy and deeply grateful. I invite you to connect with me and my energy and I will be happy to meet you.

I thank Francesca on behalf of us artists for creating this very interesting project in which art and beauty are the hosts. I chose to tell my story for the first time at 'Il Mio Salotto' because it is a welcoming space, free of judgment and full of interesting insights and connections. Thank you so much for this valuable opportunity. "

To find out more about Michela and her Tundalas, we leave her Instagram pages here:

Tundalart - Michela Deidda ~ Intuitive Artist Michela Deidda