Saturday, 28 December 2013

''The Happiness Project''


Namaste and welcome to my blog about '' The Happiness Project ''.<3 Please make yourself comfortable, shall I make you a cup of chai and serve you warm samosas?


On the 29th of November this year, I decided it was time to bring my dream project to life! Thus '' The Happiness Project'' was born. After doing years of volunteer work from the borders of China to the warm waters of Sri lanka, this project has been a dream ever since I was a young girl.
I have a wonderful husband , an adorable little boy,a fantastic job, lovely home, great holidays, wonderful friends and family who loves me. Why should I wait long to give back ?When I asked myself that question, I knew  it was time, time for me to give back to the world in a more profound way ,something my heart was longing for, to make a little difference by sharing.

I had to follow my heart, I knew that I can do so much more than just enjoying my life and keeping all the goodness to myself and my little family. I want to share the love, share the smiles and make a small difference, <3 Are you with me on this journey?

North, West and South India



What is '' The Happiness Project '' ?
 The Happiness Project is my way of making a small difference. It is a giving back project especially for under privileged children. It is a project to bring a smile to a child's face , to bring a little hope to children who are orphaned or living in the Streets.
All the way to the borders of China.
How does it work?
Every year, I select an Ngo( Non Profit Organisation) and help them raise funds , get one step closer to their goals and dreams, bring gifts or necessary items for the children under their care.
What happens after an Ngo is chosen?
Once an Ngo is selected,I start collecting/ buying toys, colour pencils, books, clothes( preferably first hand items). 25% of the sales I make will be donated to the Ngo, three months a year.
Please keep in mind that whatever you donate will be given and received by a little someone as a gift. We ( my husband and I )will be carefully wrapping all the gifts and '' gifting '' them personally, because they are worth it!
Which Ngo is selected this year?
This year the funds and gifts will be going to the 'Namaste Foundation'' children's home in Pokhara, Nepal.
 How can you make a difference?
* Donate any amount you can part with. You can send me via paypal : artforhappypeople@gmail.com
*Please visit : www.etsy.com/shop/ArtForHappyPeople . 25% of the sale will go to the Happiness project.
With all these wonderful happy thoughts and ideas , I made a new painting : Dance of Life
Make everyday a celebration of life,its a chance to be born again so spread as much love as you can- Rakhee
Hope you like it!

Thank you for being here <3 Be kind!
Love & Light,
Rakhee / Art For Happy People

Saturday, 12 October 2013

Madams,Monsieurs and Mountains!

 Hello everyone, I am back home( since hmm some time now ) in the south of Netherlands, after a soul stirring time in  Switzerland. It was challenging to get used to my old routine of having two full time jobs(being a mother and an artist) But i am not complaining, I really missed painting when I was away and now I miss other things.Human mind is a strange thing. It is always bonding with every thing and every one quickly and then it silently suffers until a strong cup of coffee is served or you slap yourself for picking such a gorgeous spot for holiday. With all the bondage I have for this earth, I am sure to be reincarnated. Alright, back to Switzerland and my silent suffering.

Lake of Geneva

I miss the fresh, mysterious mountain air and the lake of Geneva which was my wake up call. I miss the perfect breakfast's which intoxicated me with the smell of fresh home made jam and comforted me with several cups of orange cinnamon tea, while I embraced the beauty of the fairy tale lake. I have a special fondness for tea , herbs, chocolates and cake along with (several other things, we shall get it to another time ).Little did I know, I will find more tea, more cakes and chocolates in all size and shapes to confuse my taste buds,actually get a chance to bring back home some of the mountain herbs I have longed to smell for years and even get ideas of making my own perfumes.

 
 I thought ''French'' as a language was a bit over rated until I listened to French in the romantic Swiss Riviera. It blends in with the mighty mountain scenes, stunning architecture which takes you back in time and the lake , which kept playing with my eyes every time I looked at her. She kept changing her colours according to her mood. I think its a '' She'. Some one who has so much character, beauty, charm and mood has to be a woman :) I fell in love with the language, the magical castles, beautiful wooden houses in the ski areas which the Swiss people proudly call'' Chalet '' and the amazing  outdoors which set my mind free . I fondly think of the Swiss cows who dared to come close to say a loud ' moo 'after our picnic in the Jura mountains and I try to remember the cheese which was begging to be eaten every time it came on my table.

One of the best chocolate ice creams!
I always like to see what locals are up to, so we went to the Friday market in the morning down by the lake in Monteux and the lovely Sunday market in La Tour-de-Peilz , where one can buy fresh fruits, cheese, and even find handmade soaps and jewellery. There were many farmers who came from the near by villages and old towns to sell their home made cheese, fruits and jams. And you could hear ''Bonjour'' everywhere.The tiny but more than perfect line of boutique shops in the old streets were pure joy to look at. ( Keep your credit card at home, you might not be able to resist buying little treasures in the one of a kind shops where they sell antics,divine jewellery, bags and gorgeous ceramics) Everything on this side of the country has an old world elegance that made it extremely difficult for me to stay and feel normal. And the minute I felt normal, someone would call me Madame or Mademoiselle depending on how far my husband and son were standing.( I dint know if it was a joke.)


 
There was also something unusually comforting in listening to the wind ,walking between vines, breathing the fruity air ,watching the small sail boats floating away in the lake of Geneva, tasting fresh grapes and making photos ,hymning my favourite tune. It was like playing a part in a romantic novel, except that I had to change diapers and chase my little monkey boy who seemed to enjoy the place just as much as we did, or a little more. He danced along with the swans in Vevey, made his first climbing record in the Jura, watched trains go by in Cully, enjoyed cheese fondue and a dance evening in Lutry with some wonderful people, loved ice creams in Bern and Lausanne and was especially fond of breakfast time in La Tour-de-Peilz ........(a few highlights of his holiday).

Meringue with fresh cream!
 
Some of the wonderful things:
 
* The epic outdoors.
* The epic outdoors.
* The epic outdoors.
*Breath taking sunrise and sunsets.
* Organic food and vegetable farms.
* Home made Jams, spreads and sauces from the little villages around the lake.
* The gardens and wooden homes which are a delight to look at.
* Cheese and smooth chocolates.
 
Now that I have said a lot of good things, its time to look at the other side.
 
*The taxes are high.
* They have too many choices for wine and chocolates, which made shopping extremely challenging  for me.
*They finish off most of the chocolates that are made there.( No wonder I dint even know some of them existed) so if you like a particular brand, be there on time to grab them. :)
*They don't tolerate if someone takes an inch of their parking space.
*Not a good place for someone who don't like cakes, meringues and chocolates.
 
The best thing I bought back from Switzerland other than for the chocolates and memories : An original music box.
 
 I am thankful for the peace and harmony this holiday gave me and when I came back, I made a new painting called 'There must be an Angel', which is available as prints, greeting cards and iphone cases. Oh and then I changed my business name from Poppeke - Art for happy people to Art For Happy People by Rakhee Krishna.

There must be an Angel!
May the angels above you help the angel inside you to be in harmony
with all beings around you. - Rakhee
 
With that thought, I am letting you go,
Have a wonderfully positive time!
 
Love,<3
 
The travelling artist / Art For Happy People by Rakhee Krishna
 


 
 
 
 

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Welcome to my blog. My Journey!


My name is Rakhee Krishna and I am the artist behind Art For Happy People.

Like most of you, I have also become a lot of things, as life unfolded. Life demanded many roles from me and right now I am a mother, a wife, an artist ,a philosopher ,and a traveller who loves to  paint, read, travel, write,dream of chocolates and cook. I am born and raised in India and later moved to The Netherlands. I live in a typical little Dutch city in the south of Netherlands with my wonderful husband and my little boy. I enjoy good music, books, movies, good conversations, baking and a tiny bit of gardening. I also love collecting antics and vintage items especially china tea cups.

Art For Happy People  is philosophy presented in an artistic way! I have a masters degree in philosophy and religion and I try to combine my love for art and philosophy by making art for happy people. I am self-taught and I am inspired by what I feel and how I feel. My emotions guide me when I am painting.

I have a little shop on Etsy where I sell my whimsical /positive / philosophical art.
www.etsy.com/shop/ArtForHappyPeople
You can also find my work at The Heritage gallery in America and prints of my work on FineArtAmerica.
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/rakhee-krishna.html

 I try to tell a philosophy every time I create and the best thing I like about my work is that everything is possible.



I have a  history of physical illness. I have made many impulsive choices which  landed me with the wrong people( which explains my naïve and limited understanding of other fellow beings). I have been pushed around and bullied by a lot of people around me....(the list goes on ). But my story did not end there. My life was not meant to be a sad story. I dint want that. I wanted my '' happy ending ''. So my story only got the fuel, the drive, the need to continue my journey, which took me across frozen rivers in the Himalayas ,to be in the presence of the Dalai Lama , meet great Vedanta teachers,to open my heart to the lectures of Karma pa of Tibet , to the dunes of  the mighty Thar desert and also my journey of life which turned me into a daughter ,sister, wife and a mother.

I am still trying to figure out how I managed to stand on top of world's first, second and third highest mountain passes( with a spinal deformity),how I cope with my hip instability and how I am trying to live a happy, contended life with constant pain!

 I am making small steps to make myself a better/ happier person. And I want to share my journey with you here, hoping that something I write or paint, will bring a positive change to someone's life.

I look forward to share the philosophies behind my art ,my travel diaries and why I make Art for happy people.I will also be  featuring some wonderful artist's here who inspire me  and make me smile.



Thank you for your time. I shall write again soon.

Till we meet again, I am leaving you with one of my favourite quotes:

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive ~ Thích Nhat Hạnh

Love & positive thoughts,

The travelling artist / Art For Happy People