We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Donna Sheratan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Donna, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I give credit to my Mother who gave me my first drawing lesson. I’ve been able to take what was gifted to me by my Mom an turn it into an artistic career. My Mother never got the chance to pursue her dreams, she stayed home to raise me and my brother. She inherited her talent from my Grandmother, who gave me my first experience of art at age four at the Metropolitan Museum, in New York. A painting of a little boy in red costume by Goya, Portrait of Don Manuel Osorio, spoke to my soul. I clearly heard an almighty voice tell me to devote my life to painting. I believed in that moment I would become an artist and I never looked back.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My near death experience changed the way I lived.
The ocean angrily slapping the waves of its arms against the sides of the wood hull, Sea Bird. It felt as though my head would explode. Then as if someone stabbed me viciously with a long sharp blade, ramming it into my side and up through my torso, I wrenched and gasped. I didn’t have the strength to fight it anymore. “God, please don’t let me suffer anymore.”
I felt myself begin to slip away, being pulled from my body. I was being sucked up like a speck of dust. By a force that was beyond my control. Rapidly moving, going and going. But, I didn’t know where I was going. Suddenly, I felt afraid.

All at once, I saw a brilliant white light and was drawn toward it. Enveloped by the light I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace. Several Angels emerged from the light, with no distinct features, just glowing silhouettes.

Then, without warning I was being pulled away from the light. I heard the Angels telling me I had to go back because I still had work to finish.

A near death experience can feel somewhat isolating . Its like a part of me died, and I had to start life over again. In the beginning I wanted to suppress the encounter and not talk about it. Then I decided that since I got another chance at life I wasn’t going to waste it. Divorcing, and for several years I struggled to pull my life back together, pouring all my energy into my work. Painting my Angel visions got me out of bed in the morning.

My brush with death is vividly remembered for all these years. And I can recall the details of the experience with usual clarity. And, when I came back the Angels came back with me. For the past 30 years, I continued my mission to serve the Angels. Through my Art, I hope to give people their own Angel encounter.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I landed on the cover of People Magazine. My first media was on CNN International, on Christmas morning. I wasn’t prepared for a live news interview, tucked away in a remote studio, the camera and the bright lights were all very intimidating. While I was trying to compose my self I was handed an earpiece and realized I would be unable to see the person I would be talking to. The camera man instructed me to look directly into the camera, I worried I had the deer in the head lights startled look on my face. Nervously, I waited to hear the anchorwoman’s voice. To help relax I took a few deep breaths. Finally, I took comfort in the fact that I know my subject, Angels are my area of expertise. Many more interviews were to come. The word Angel comes from the Greek word Angelos which means messenger. I decided to write my book Wings of Success, I want the world to know Angels really do exist. Despite what is often depicted in books and movies Angels are not chubby babies with wings. They are strong warriors, they are real and powerful. We all have a Life Purpose and your Angels are right beside you, they want you to know they have your back.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Being resilient doesn’t mean that you don’t experience stress, emotional up upheaval and suffering. I devoted my life to following the Angels messages , sometimes it became my life’s secret torment.

In Wings of Success , Sheratan a seasoned traveler recounts her personal journey in Italy. It was not all the Dolca Vita.

Abruptly, Donna awoke from a deep sleep on a sofa. The darkness of the night was illuminated from the street lamps outside and a pale dusty white light filters through the window panes. High ceiling rising over head, in a living room of an old European apartment .She surveyed the room, all expensive antiques. Only, she hasn’t the faintest idea how she got there, or even what country she was in. When she realized she didn’t even know her own name panic took hold of her. Disoriented, she starred out the window at the old buildings, there was no sound or movement coming from the streets below. Finally her analytical mind kicked in and took control. Okay, be logical, she told herself. Its provably the middle of the night, best to go back to sleep. In the morning maybe things will become more clear.

Daylight spilled across the wooden floors. Groggily, she sat up on the sofa, then the memories came flooding back . She would have preferred to bury herself under the covers. The consequence of living on the edge in Europe was effecting her sanity. She resisted the urge to fly back to America, she had a mission here an she wasn’t giving up.

The Vatican Museum, Rome. She placed her purse on the conveyer belt of the security scanner and looked at the line of people , rows an rows of them , at the ticket counter. It would take hours to get into this museum. When her purse went through the scanner , a young security guard approached her.

“Come with me Miss.”with a serious expression on his face.
She was thinking now what? The last thing she needed was more stress.
“Follow me, as he leads her to service elevator.”
She starts to get butterflies in her stomach. When he sees the panic look spreading across her face, he gently touches her arm.
“Don’t worry. Your an artist.”
“How did you know that?” With a surprised look on her face, she stared at him.
“I just felt it, and I didn’t want you to wait on line with all the tourists. What would you like to see.?”
“Michelangelo vault of the Sistine Chapel,” she told him.`
“I used to play classical musical, one day it just got to hard ,so I gave up. Cut my hair and work here now. Never give up on your dream”.

His message helped keep her going. She didn’t really think it through, what it would be like living abroad. At first she felt excitement, then frustration and finally exhausted. The language barrier, and adapting to a different work culture that moved at a very relaxed pace. Not having enough money saved, she believed things would fall in place more rapidly, but instead she was facing major financial challenges. Relentlessly, she continued one day at a time, a night here a week there. Moving from one place to another, is not always romantic. Hopping on very old trains, for many , many hours. Seeking shelter everyplace, on a quiet summer night she stumbled upon an old stone church, she plopped down on its steps and spent the night under the arched entryway . She found herself very much alone, and silently wishing that she had a place, any place, that felt like home. Living with only the basics she chose to carry around she continued traveling in Italy studying the Renaissance Master Pieces. With no planned end to her wanderings, until one day the Angels delivered a clear message that lead her to South Italy.

She found Paradise by the sea and settled down into a simple life. Positano, on via Fornillo there is an ancient green door with peeling paint an a rusty lock. From with in you can hear the rumbles of the wheely bags going over the uneven cobbles as tourist go to their hotels along with the clip clop of the donkeys porting supplies. This tiny two story dwelling has become her home. Now, with a stable foundation her days are spent painting, Angels Her mornings begin barefoot walking on the beach to meditate on a huge rock caressed by the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea. After wards her morning ritual, sitting at a cafe table she sips her espresso
watching the Dolca Vita unfold. Coffee is more than a routine for the Italians, it a way of life. This is Italy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.angelvisions.com
• Instagram: donna sheratan
• Other: [email protected]