La Vie Creative

Send us Fan Mail American artist Mary Cassatt was considered one of “Les Trois Grandes Dames of Impressionism” alongside Berthe Morisot and Marie Bracquemond. Born in Pittsburgh on May 22, 1844, to a very wealthy family. Her father Robert Simpson Cassatt made a fortune in the stock market and with land sales. Her mother Katherine came from a banking family that was well educated and believed her o...

Send us Fan Mail JESSIE KANELOS WEINER IS A FRANCO-AMERICAN ILLUSTRATOR, AUTHOR AND FOOD STYLIST BASED IN PARIS AND NEW YORK. BORN AND RAISED IN CHICAGO, SHE WAS A COSTUME DESIGNER IN A PREVIOUS LIFE WHEN PICKING UP WATERCOLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME, DEVELOPING HER HIGHLY DETAILED, WHIMSICAL AND INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE STYLE. SHE IS THE COAUTHOR OF “PARIS IN STRIDE” (RIZZOLI),  AUTHOR OF “EDIBLE PARADI...

Send us Fan Mail There were many American expats filling the streets of Paris in the 1920’s but there was one that did it with an extra panash and made an immediate impression.  Josephine Baker was a woman ahead of her time and blazed her own path from the streets of St Louis to the stages of Paris. Josephine Baker grew up on the streets of St Louis dancing for spare change before at the age of 15...

Send us Fan Mail Richard Nahem is a native New Yorker with a longstanding love for Paris. A trained chef, Richard ran a successful catering and event planning company for over twenty years in New York City, working with celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Whitney Houston, and Joan Rivers. After a teenage trip to Paris made him an instant Francophile, he visited the city frequently until ma...

Send us Fan Mail You will know this week's lovely lady from the beautiful painting hanging in the Musée du Louvre by Jacques-Louis David.  Juliette Récamier was a fixture of the Paris Salon scene in the 19th century and lived a very interesting life.  It all started with a rather strange story. Her mother Marie-Julie Matton came from a wealthy family and her father Jean Bernard was the notary...

Send us Fan Mail Julia Willard moved to Paris where she found herself having to have a camera with herself at all times to capture the way the city had mastered beauty. Her bicycle added to the experience, as it increased her reach outside her little quarter .  She found herself with an immense desire to share this beauty through her photographic eye. She has been traveling and photographing all o...

Send us Fan Mail The statue of Reine Berthe in the Jardin du Luxembourg is one of my favorites of the twenty illustrious ladies in French history. She may not be as well known as Marie de Medicis but you will know the name of her son and her story is pretty amazing.  Born in 720 to Count Caribert de Laon and Blanche-Fleur de Prum her beauty was known far and wide. When Pepin le Bref, future king o...

Send us Fan Mail Samantha Vérant is a travel addict, a self-professed oenophile, and a determined, if occasionally unconventional, at home French chef. She is the bestselling author of Seven Letters from Paris and How to Make a French Family and today she chats with us about her new book: The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux She lives in southwestern France, where she's married to a se...

Send us Fan Mail There are many designers that have shaped fashion in France. However, before there were Dior and Chanel there was Jeanne Lanvin. Lanvin was a designer that paved the way for all the others to come after her.  Jeanne was born on January 1, 1867 in Paris at 35 Rue Mazarine. She was the oldest of eleven children to parents Bernard Lanvin and Sophie Blanche Deshayes. Jeanne got a job...

Send us Fan Mail A native of Canada, Lily Heise fell in love with Paris on a study abroad program and never looked back. This year she'll be celebrating her 20th anniversary in the City of Light, or is it the City of Love? Lily has written two humorous books on looking for romance in Paris, Je T'Aime, Me Neither and its sequel, Je T'Aime... Maybe? Her first book inspired her blog, w...

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...