Flora Making Life Brighter & Happy for Others

My name is Giada Conte, I am 38. I am Italian, but I moved to California 3 years ago, where I live with my husband. No kids, no pets, no close relatives, just the two of us! I’ve been working for more than 15 years as a theatrical set designer and painter, extremely in love with my job, and with Arts in general. Then, one day in March 2020, all of a sudden, everything changed: theatres and live events closed their doors indefinitely, and I felt completely lost.

I have been trying somehow to adjust the new reality, of Covid 19, since the beginning of the lockdown and I committed myself to practicing positive-thinking exercises as a daily routine.

At least one happy word per day

I started focusing on all the privileges my life already had (and still has, more than ever): Family, Love, Energy, Colors, Memories, Freedom, Hope, Creativity… so I reached the 50th day, with the word ‘Joy’, the day I took my pencil and started drawing…

The day Flora came

She was a little whimsical character with the mission of making me smile. It worked! Initially, the idea was to write a children’s book about her, but then I just enjoyed so much spending time making art that I forgot about that plan. 4 months and 300+ drawings later, going through the shelter-in-place and the wildfires that forced me to stay safe inside, I still fill my days doing that, looking out the window, and dreaming through her eyes.

I thought that maybe Flora could have spread a bit of color and brightness to some other’s life too.

Hence, I’ve been posting daily illustrations on social media and I created her personal blog with free educational/inspirational contents, receiving hundreds of views and daily positive feedback. But what’s motivating me the most are some special heartwarming ‘Thank You’ messages I got from persons who have been living delicate moments and difficult situations, saying that my character just helped them lighten their days with a smile. Well, there are no words to express how I feel about this. I was creating art, in my little corner of the world, trying to make the best of my social isolation, and I ended up making a difference for some others, even if only for the time of a chuckle.

As a personal journey, Flora is about exploring everyday

She looks at her life in a new perspective, observing ordinary objects with a curious eye, discovering connections, finding Beauty in the little things, getting motivated and inspired even when the whole world is upside down.

After collecting materials to create activity sheets for kids, I recently made a series of Worksheets for Seniors, and that’s what brings me here. It’s a packet designed to encourage positive thoughts and memories, keeping them busy, with a little fun too!

A free pdf copy is ready to download and print here

www.floramakesmesmile.com/post/free-printable-activity-sheets-for-seniors

If you’d like to see more about Flora, here’s where to follow her:

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/floramakesmesmile

Instragram: www.instagram.com/flora_makes_me_smile

Blog: www.floramakesmesmile.com

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