La Vie Creative

Send us Fan Mail Ninon de Lenclos was a woman way ahead of her time. Born in 1620, she decided at a very early age that she was not going to live the life of the rest of the 17th century women. She didn’t want to be a nun or a wife and there were few other choices left. Ninon would go on to become one of the most celebrated courtesans in Paris.  Incredibly smart and witty she seduced men with her...

Send us Fan Mail Susan Hutchinson is the founder and curator of @thefrancophiles , a community that promotes French culture around the globe. She is also the creative director for her French-inspired lifestyle blog of ten years, Fleurishing . After 18 years in the field of interior design and many years running her own firm, Susan decided to switch gears and focus her creative energy into her life...

Send us Fan Mail The life of Marie Antoinette has been well documented. However the loveliest of  ways and the most enduring image of the fated queen was in the paintings of Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun.  Vigee Le Brun began to paint as a child and by the age of 15 she already finished her first major painting. Her portraits got the attention of all of Paris and the court at Versailles. Once the Count...

Send us Fan Mail Molly Wilkinson is a pastry chef living in Versailles. Originally from Dallas, Texas, in 2013 she changed careers to follow her passion by moving to Paris and studying pastry at Le Cordon Bleu. After working at several bakeries in both France and the US, she now teaches pastry out of her 18th century apartment just 5 minutes walk from the Versailles Chateau. Her method is all abou...

Send us Fan Mail Sarah Bernhardt the darling of the stage marched to her own beat. From an early age she heard the calling but at first she thought it was for a religious life. After a full mass funeral for her pet lizard she was told her talents were better used elsewhere.   Performing on just about every stage in Paris, the tough and at times angry Bernhardt constantly were at odds with theater...

Send us Fan Mail James Pouliot di Lombardia is an American artist living in Paris, France. His photography work has been featured in international fashion publications such as a Vogue and L’Officiel. His paintings explore nature and consumer culture. His still life studies are described as “academic pop-art” and exploit traditional methods of atelier painting with contemporary and often disposable...

Send us Fan Mail The story of Camille Claudel is one of heartbreak and sadness. A genius of an artist she never got her due and ended her life alone.  At just 12 years old she began to play with clay and her talent got the attention of artist Alfred Boucher. Her father supported her pursuit and agreed to move to Paris so she would be able to study under Boucher. Her mother on the other hand did no...

Send us Fan Mail About Tara Vatanpour : Tara Vatanpour is an artist and a luxury fashion designer, founder of Tara Vatanpour. Persian, Azari,  French, American, and influenced by the Brazilian culture, she focuses her artistic research around immigration trauma, loss and separation, chaos of emotions as a result, and the search for healing. From a solid educational background in the study field of...

Send us Fan Mail Edith Giovanna Gassion Piaf, born on her doorstep as the story she stuck with on December 19, 1915.  A very tough childhood after her mother abandoned her, a grandmother that gave her wine instead of water and another that raised her in a brothel. Through all of this, she became one of the most beloved French singers in the world. To this day you would be hard-pressed to find some...

Send us Fan Mail I sat down with Emily Jackson, who is an American in Paris working in marketing to talk about the new Netflix hit "Emily in Paris".  I wanted her take on the show compared to what it's really like to work in social media for French firms in the city of light. Enjoy this bonus episode and tell us how you feel about the show! Also, don't forget to check out Emily...

Send us Fan Mail Rykarda Parasol is an artist, writer and musician best known for her solo musical work depicting noir-lit melodies reminiscent of folk, Americana, and early pyche 60s pop. Ms. Parasol is from San Francisco and has made Paris her part-time home and muse. Ms. Parasol is also a writer and designer and in addition to working on new musical recordings, she is also writing and illustrat...

Send us Fan Mail Johanna Bonger van-Gogh a name you may not know, but without her, we would never know her brother-in-law, Vincent.  Married to Theo van Gogh, art dealer, and brother to Vincent van Gogh for less than two very short years. When Vincent and Theo died just six months apart, she was left with an infant and an apartment filled with paintings. Told they were worthless and to toss them o...

Send us Fan Mail Paris-born, internationally acclaimed artist and author LILIANNE MILGROM grew up in Australia, lived in Israel and currently resides in Washington, DC. She exhibits her artwork around the world and is the recipient of multiple awards and residencies. Her work can be found in both private and institutional collections; her articles and essays have appeared in publications such as t...

Send us Fan Mail Sylvia Beach, the sweet woman that had a love of books and sharing them with others in her legendary store Shakespeare and Company holds the spotlight in this week's episode.  Arriving in Paris during WWI to study French Literature, a flier would lead her to a book shop on Rue de l'Odeon and into the door and heart of Adrienne Monnier.  Opening her first store on Novembe...

Send us Fan Mail Anne Stark Ditmeyer is an American creative coach and consultant based in Paris, France. Anne is a creative connector who has never been one to take the traditional path. Her work draws from anthropology, graphic design, design thinking, UX design, storytelling, and global communications, traversing in person and online worlds. She founded Prêt à Voyager (translation: ready to tra...

Send us Fan Mail Barb-Nicol Ponsardin, shaped by Champagne, would become the woman and label we know as Veuve Clicquot. Born before the French Revolution to wealthy parents, she would marry the son of her father's business partner, Francois Clicquot in 1798. It would be the start of the Clicqout house, that would grow from very small and humble beginnings to the world renowned label all due t...

Send us Fan Mail A New Yorker who fell hard  for an Italian in Paris. She would later launch her handbags made locally in France. The hand-printed canvas bags were inspired by her world travels. She also provides fashion tours in the city of light introducing travelers to local designers. My guest today is Kasia Dietz https://www.kasiadietz.com/ Support the show 🎨 Join my 2026 Tour of Christmas i...

Send us Fan Mail Gertrude Stein was the woman behind many of the greatest writers and artists in Paris of the 1920’s and the famous catch phrase, the “Lost Generation”.  Growing up in a wealthy family, the incredible intelligent woman was well educated, appreciated art and amassed a collection that any museum would envy.  While her time in Paris is engraved on the life of the expatriates and many...

Send us Fan Mail New York Times bestselling author Craig Carlson first came to France as an exchange student in 1985 and instantly fell in love with the country. He never could have imagined that some thirty-five years later he’d be the owner of two American diners in Paris and be nicknamed “Le Pancake Kid” by the French. With a background in journalism, Craig studied cinema at the prestigious USC...

Send us Fan Mail Catherine de’ Medicis was the other Florentine queen that would also leave her mark on France. Catherine and Marie de’ Medicis are often mixed up and we hope we can help you tell the two apart like a pro in no time. The mother of three kings and two kings and the wife of Henri II would finally wield her power after the early death of King Henri II. What happens next is the tale of...

Send us Fan Mail Lindsey Tramuta, an American who has lived in Paris for a decade, writes the award-winning blog Lost in Cheeseland, and contributes to the New York Times, Afar Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, and Bon Appétit, where she writes extensively on Paris and French culture. Today we chat about her creative process in writing and about her new book "The New Parisienne: the Women &...

Send us Fan Mail Berthe Morisot, one of the few women of the Impressionist Movement, with her dark locks and stunning gaze, was the perfect model for Édouard Manet.  However, she would become an artist in her own right stepping behind the canvas to create paintings that showed everyday family life, forging her own path among  the male dominated Impressionists     Born on January 14, 1841 to a weal...

Send us Fan Mail Sharon Santoni has gained millions of readers through her blog where she shares with people what it means to live a French country life. Her blog has grown into tours, a podcast, books, magazine, delivered gifts and much more!  We chat about how France brought so much creativity into her life and inspired her to create a thriving business after her children grown into adulthood. W...

Send us Fan Mail Once upon a time there were two Florentine queens that left their mark on Paris. In the newest La Vie Creative - Paris History Avec A Hemingway episode we talk all about one of them, Marie de Medicis from her childhood in Florence to her life in exile.  She was born on April 26 , 1575 to Francois I de Medicis and Joan of Austria in the Pitti Palace in Florence. Joan of Austria wou...

Send us Fan Mail Suzuki Violin with Camilla started playing the violin at age three with Elizabeth Mills, one of the very first Suzuki teachers in the United States, and was chosen to help demonstrate the Suzuki method to other interested teachers, with the help of Dr. Suzuki and his assistants. Later, about the age of 9, she went on to study with Sybil Maxwell in Los Angeles for many years and ea...