We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Claudia Apaid. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Claudia below.

Claudia, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I have worked on has been the non profit foundation I started back in 2004. Growing up in haiti I had seen poverty everyday around me, on the streets, in my neighborhood, in the countryside and all around. It was not until 2004 when my brother got taken as a political prisoner in Haiti that I got up close and personal with the poorest and most vulnerable of all, the Restavek children of Haiti (slave children).
It was in the national prison that I met and learned of these children and their trials.
I was moved at their stories of survival and hardships. I made a vow that if my brother was released safely and quickly that I would not let this experience happen to me in vain. I would take this experience and find purpose and power in it. It was my way of choosing to turn a negative to a positive.
That December my brother was freed and I created my first distribution to help bring relief to these vulnerable disadvantaged children.
It was the birth of Sow a Seed, a foundation aiming to assist vulnerable and marginalized children and communities in Haiti, providing them with emergency relief and sustainable impact. My mission was to reduce hardship, instill hope and provide sustainable solutions for these children.
The Journey with Sow a Seed happened very organically and before we knew it, we grew into a community of thousands of volunteers and members; my next experience was with a problematic orphanage that housed 60 children who were undergoing horrible life situations such as rape and abuse. Upon this latter encounter, I chose to get more deeply involved to help intervene and rescue these children from their current situation. We started to structure the organization and instill programs to serve the children. The programs pillars were shelter, education, health and the arts. We started with one orphanage and throughout the years served over 300 of them nationwide. We also extended our reach to help struggling communities.
Throughout the past 10 years we have impacted and helped over 2 million people in the Caribbean region, especially Haiti. Our current impacts as follows:
1,594,102 people received emergency relief throughout Haiti.
158,107 children benefitted from our health and wellness programs .
217,110 people benefitted from our community and environmental initiatives.
17,415 children benefitted from our education programs.
14,416 children benefitted from our Spread the Joy holiday event.

This experience is so meaningful to me because it is so much bigger than me.
This project involves the entire community, helps bring unity, collaboration and positive growth.
We cultivate the principles of individual social responsibility and service which in turn restores our faith in humanity and inspires hope in our networks generating ripples of positivity and waves of change.

Claudia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a creative, a soulfull sunbeing mesmerized and inspired by the universal mysteries of energy and its workings. The great unknowns, spirituality, nature, the cosmos, life, stories, myths, culture, color and art.
Service, purpose, dharma, the collective, social work, sustainable solutions, empowerment, growth and healing.
Deeply empathetic to children in difficulty I started a nonprofit back in 2004 named Sow a Seed impacting over two million people in Haiti, targeting impoverished vulnerable children in need. I have directed this non profit for the past 15 years and am proud of the work and change we have brought through it.
I am grateful to work in a positive space where we are constantly bringing hope and positivity to those that need it most. It is truly by giving that one receives.
I am also a visual artist and designer with in an international portfolio. I have exhibited my works in various parts of the globe, sold hundreds pieces of my works and received awards and accolades for my both my social and artistic contributions.
My artwork is often inspired by nature and spirituality. Healing is always an undercurrent theme in all my works.
I am a Reiki master, sound alchemist, Dharma life purpose coach and I combine my teachings to create energetic healing offerings. My wellness platform named Reconnective Therapies is a space focused on promoting balance, harmony and wholeness to align the mind body and soul through various offerings, products, curated retreats and experiences.
I am currently booking offerings, planning wellness retreats and on the art side getting ready to unveil my new collection of wearable art named “Maji”.
I believe it’s important for things to connect and go full circle; keep the karmic wheel turning in a positive way.
In keeping with the common red thread to connect my various undertakings, I choose to donate proceeds from the sales of my art works to support the foundation’s works.
Purchases enable and help to keep the positive work we do in haiti of giving back going.
Finding creative ways of being a channel of healing and goodness, a vehicle of love, magic and peace is my intention.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes the book the four agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz has left an imprint on my journey. The very simple 4 agreements to oneself, once understood and applied were a game changer for me; easily reminding myself of these 4 points, I anchor in them to find peace and clarity.

1.Be Impeccable With Your Word.- means to take responsibility for one’s actions and remain without judgment against oneself and others. In essence, this agreement focuses on the significance of speaking with integrity and carefully choosing words before saying them aloud

2.Don’t Take Anything Personally-This agreement allows readers to understand the notion that each individual has a unique worldview that alters their own perceptions, and that the actions and beliefs of a person is a projection of their own personal reality. Their reactions has nothing to do with you, It is all projection of their story based on their experiences.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions- When one assumes what others are thinking, it can create stress and interpersonal conflict because the person believes their assumption is a representation of the truth. Ruiz believes that a solution to overcoming the act of making an assumption is to ask questions and ensure that the communication is clear between the persons involved.

4.Always Do Your Best -if one does their best in any given moment, they will be able to avoid self-judgment and regret. By incorporating the first three agreements and doing the best they can in all facets of life, individuals will be able to live a life free from sorrow and self-ridicule

This is how I choose to live my life.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I, not only get to explore my limitless imagination, but I am encouraged to draw from it to create tangible beauty in whatever forms or mediums come through me. Being around color which is a vibration on its own, sparks a flame of passion and excitement in my being.
In every work of art, the artist is present; the work reveals all, with an aim to represent not the outward appearance of things but their inward significance of them as well. Art is my therapy, it’s my preferred form of expression. Art has a way to touch people, to allow them to see themselves in the works, to connect, to inspire and to ignite sparks within us all.
Through the act of creation, the divine flows and ultimate power is exercised, the sacred act of creation.
This vibrational space and flow, is my abode. I read a quote on this that resonated with me. “The act of creation is a kind of ritual. The origins of art and human existence lie hidden in this mystery of creation. Human creativity reaffirms and mystifies the power of ’life.”

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.claudiaapaid.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apaidart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apaidart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-apaid-9599b135/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/reconnectivetherapies/ https://sowaseedonline.org https://www.instagram.com/sowaseed/

Image Credits
Isabella Apaid Prato, Ignace Hage, Fabiola Arriaga