Welcome to Living Well — our bi-weekly spotlight on different women that we admire and find fascinating. Our goal is to share an intimate peek into these women’s lives by asking them the questions that allow them to open up about their imperfect truth, whatever that may be. 

Initially, I admired Dionne’s art via Instagram and then met her at the opening of Artemis (which WLW is now neighbor to) where Dionne’s work was showing.

Dionne has a beautiful aesthetic and an artful eye. I appreciate that she is also incredibly kind and thoughtful. I haven’t known her for long but I am happy to have such a talented and generous person in the WLW community. I know we will all find that she approaches her life in the same thoughtful and beautiful way she does her art. 

Enjoy! xx

If you've done the Values Deck exercise, what are your top five values? Tell us how one of them manifests in your life. What is a decision you’ve made using it to guide you?

Abundance, Beauty, Connection, Creativity & Freedom.

Actually all of them manifest in my life through my work as an artist and within my marriage. I've recently learned that in "this lifetime" freedom is one of my themes and that a life that provides freedom will make me the happiest. Once I learned that, I changed one of my top 5 values from Love to Freedom because I realized I won't love my life without Freedom. I recently asked my loving husband what he thought of me living away for a few months on my own and he was all for it. I don't have any concrete plans, however, if the right opportunity that's a full "yes" comes up I'll be packing my bags.

What does a life well lived look like to you?

A well lived life has a lot of creativity that feeds my soul, it gives back, it shares and supports through all times not just the fun ones. It is refined and boiled down to my pure essence ridding away of all that is unnecessary and distracting. It holds space for all of me: the quiet introverted deep-thinking and the loud social music-loving dancing side. It allows for whatever is needed on a day to be expressed and felt. It shares ideas and builds upon dreams and helps others to build their dreams and recognize their passions. It is surrounded by nature, nutrient-rich food, loving people, music and design.

My version of success is…

Feeling like I have all that I need to feed my soul and express my ideas in an abundant sustainable way that also provides the means to give back to others while living a beautiful life.

In what way are you seeking to grow right now?

I am always seeking many ways to grow, however, right now I am looking inward and really boiling down to my pure essence and re-enforcing my inner strength so that I can evolve into my next creative expression. I don't have any one person, and feel very lucky to have so many creatives and non- creatives in my life that embody this.

What is one way that you are different today than you were ten years ago?

Ten years ago I manifested a move to Northern California and thought that's where I'd spend the rest of my life — I had no idea 10 years later I'd live in Southern California and be a fine art painter. I still practice manifestation, however, now I also listen to what life is presenting me.

Setting aside modesty for a moment, what are you excellent at?

I'd say dancing, although my moves aren't nearly as tight as they used to be. Haha jokes aside, I'm excellent at thinking and connecting on deeper levels and I feel like my art is an additional language that allows me to connect deeper while fully expressing my passion for beauty, design and fine details.

Whose life perspective and way of moving through the world teaches you something about who + how you want to be?

I don't have anyone specific. I've curated a beautiful group of people in my life. I learn so much from all of them it's like I'm gathering little life nuggets of gold from all my loves.

Is there a quote or mantra you always come back to?

More of a question that I keep coming back to...How does this feel?

Can you share a book, podcast, or article that changed you in some way?

Athena Calderone's More Than One Thing podcast really hit home and allowed me to hear stories of multi-hyphenates that felt similar to my personal creative journey and for the first time I felt fully connected to a group of people. Now, knowing there are a lot of others out there like me fuels my soul.

What are you grateful for today?

I am grateful for the abundance of pure love I have surrounding me, as my story didn't start out that way.

After an exhilarant career as an Interior Designer and television Art Director, paint & canvas is now her intoxicating walk of life. Multifaceted Dionne holds a degree in both fashion & interior design. Upon years of using her innate intuition dreaming up sets for clients such as the DIY Network, selecting perfect props for global leaders like Coca Cola and creating curated interiors for residential & commercial muses she now uses her intuition, design intellect and dreamy vision to touch the hearts & minds of art lovers. Dionne currently lives in California with her husband and mischievous terriers Whitney + Clive.

Follow her incredible artwork on Instagram @mondaymoodmaker.