Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do!
I’m Chanelle Jefferson, a mixed-media artist, practitioner, and facilitator based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. My work blends art and healing, focusing on intuitive blind-contour drawing and organic materials like wet chalk pastel to create earthy, layered pieces. Rooted in themes of nature, observation, and connection, my practice is both personal and community-driven.
As a trained counselor and the founder of The Grief Project, I use art as a tool for emotional processing, helping others navigate loss through artwork. I also lead retreats and workshops, guiding heart-lead women through reprogramming their mind and mastering their energy so that they can achieve their “crazy” dreams.
What’s one small thing you do every day to stay grounded, even on the busiest days?
Write, write, write. My pockets are always filled with scribbled thoughts, and my journals are never far from reach.
Blind contour drawing is about trusting the process—no peeking! Have you ever ended up with something totally unexpected (in art or life) that turned out even better than planned?
Always. The universe gives us exactly what we ask for—just never in the way we expect. The biggest leaps of faith, with zero expectations, have led to the most rewarding surprises. I recently discovered a deep seated belief that I subconsciously carried which was that things never went to plan. I discovered that it impacted my life and business by always almost reaching my goals and dreams but not quite. It wasn’t until I was able to shift that belief that things started turning out even better than I could’ve dreamt. Our subconscious mind is everything!
Your Finding Awe Within the Ordinary retreat sounds like a dream. If you could bottle up one feeling from it and carry it with you every day, what would it be?
Magnetic energy—the feeling of alignment, where dreams and opportunities seem to “fall from the sky.”
If your creative process had a soundtrack, what three songs would be on it?
One song comes through for me. La Vie en Rose - Louise Armstrong - the anthem of love.
Your work reminds people to slow down. When life speeds up, what’s your go-to self-care routine Before Life Happens?
Slowing down is essential for me to stay connected to myself and my work. I take salt baths to reset, floss (because small rituals matter), and make time to brush my hair—before it knots into a wild bun full of paint.
Meditation is a daily practice, often outside on my favorite rock, where I reflect on what is, what was, and what will be. Infrared sauna helps me detox, and most importantly, I carve out deep, uninterrupted alone time. I live in the woods with no TV or internet, so silence is my greatest luxury and the place I do my best work in.
