We recently connected with Doreen Velin and have shared our conversation below.

Doreen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

Since grade 3 , i Dreamt of being a teacher. I followed that path throughout high school even teaching for a week a grade 5 class. Receiving my final government exam marks from grade 12 I saw that I failed my Eng. 91. My parents not having education , did not have a solution. My dreams were destroyed in that moment. I had so much material saved thoughout the years in preparation for my career. Then I found out that I could get into Riverview Hospital for training for a Registered Psychiatric Nurse. I only went because it was close to where my boyfriend lived and we made a very healthy stipend whle living on the hospital grounds in dorms. After training I was placed in Geriatric wards where I had constant Burrsitis in my shoulders from the heavy lifting. So I decided to quit and take the CGA course at college.
I only got 1 month into it and was offered an office position as girl friday, doing all the bookkeeping and payroll. I then went on a trip, because it was cheap, and it brought out the gypsy in my as i was always told by my Welsh father that I had. I ended up opening a gift shop, then a store, then another store, then another store selling swimwear and summer wear for the whole family. I called it All Seasons Funwear. I gobbled up the “Color Me Beautiful ” book by Carol Jackson. We color coded the clothing into “seasons”, draping people, making color swatches; using the warm and cool rules. I came to a realization that art has the same rules so i starting painting anything and everywhere. I loved to experiment and paint with the children as we travelled throughout the world. I felt so alive! I help to start a marketing club to help artists market their works. Selling can be very intimidating for artists.
I had to tell you this long history as it all came together like a great recipe for what I am doing today.
You see, I am teaching art to about 20 men in an addiction recovery housing facility, and using art to expose those deep feelings inside of themselves. It is both an escape from their haunting thoughts and a focus for them that is healthy, healing and inspiring. they are discovering who they are, beginning to love themselves and feel worthwhile. I love them all.
I invite them to call me Auntie Dodo, I have made popcorn and joined them watch the COPA Football, even though i don’t know a thing about it. Just hanging out nearly every day in their back yard area, having coffee, they come, We hug, they share, we cry together. I am so blessed that God has taken all my past, mixed it all up to make the perfect Cheery Pie.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an art therepist, relationship counselor, helping children at risk, reaching out to them through art and play.
I also help artists to market their works, while painting myself.
I also teach art to men in addiction recovery here in Kelowna. this is so rewrding.
being an old Psychiatric Nurse has helped me with the tools I need to help bring some peace, and laughter to these men through art therapy. I got into business, initally from taking a cheap trip with Eastern airlines, years ago. they had a one price special where you can fly as many places as you want in north america in 21 days. we went on 19 flights, and discovered the USA, Carribean, and Mexico. that was it I was sold. My Welsh father always told me I had pure Blue blood Diddicoy gypsy from my grandmother. That trip brought that out. OK, how can I make a business out of what I love so much? The trick is you need to be able to write your travel off as an expense in your business, Bingo… what about a import and export business. That is where the idea tool hold and shaped itself into a doable form for me. I ended up buying a small gift shop in a hotel. It was fun and buying trips were very necessary. Then the dream expanded to 3 other stores that were large swimwear and summer clothing resort stores for the family. I had to travel further on those buying trips. One time i ran after a pick up truck that i saw out a restaurant window in Mexico. It was loaded with bikinis all in bundles.
One day a young girl tried to steal something. I found out that she wanted a bathingsuit, had no money and couoldn’t get a job because she had never worked. store owners wanted resumes.
I hired her, told her if she worked 2 days a week for 3 months, learned all the aspects of the business, that I would give her a great resume. She came to see me when she was 26 years old and gave me a big hug, thankful for that chance.
That is what being in business is all about to me. I was in the retail business for 40 years.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I had a store in Kelowna and in North Vancouver that was a resort a swim store, we all experienced hard times when the ecomony tanked near 2000. It was impossible to raise the prices any higher so I had to find a way to lower the prices. I ended up going to Las Vegas to the Off Price shows. They were a venue where jobbers or manufacturers would sell off all the inventory near the end of a season for a cash flow, in order to buy fabric for the fall season. Because the prices were low, I had to buy in higher quantities. In otherwards, buying in packs of 36 or 48 instead of 1 or 2 of each size. It got me through those lean times, being able to lower my prices to the customer, make a good margin and stay in business. I did not take a wage thooughout those years. Being married really helped. I could not do it as a single at that time.
I also came up with seling my art up on the walls, hving sip and art nights, doing fashion shows. All these things kept costs down and advertising costs to close to zero.
Many businesses closed during this time. They had taken healthy wages fot themselves and had debt from the bank . I did neither of those things.
I ended up opening a larger store. We did not dine , or have coffees out then.. Shop smart, Live smart. We can make it through those times.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Today, I can actually call myseslf a Youtuber. I am working towards having enough followers to have a chat line while I do art to help with mental health, stress, and helping people to have inner confidence, and self worth. Focusing on art and being able to talk back and forth is a goal now for me. I feel confident that I am on my way.
I don’t remember how this wonderful man came into my life, but he did. His name is Lorenz Plourde. He is a videographer and we have done great things together. He has taught me to think outside the box in marketing and help me to discover in myself the love of interviewing.. He is under Process Art Discovery on youtube and I am under my name, Doreen Velin. I offer teaching art from scratch, search for lowcost ways of getting into art, Walkabouts are fun, helping people that want to buy their first piece of art, deciding to throw out those paper posters. I love to have fun, make people laugh and inspire them to try themselves .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://doreenvelin.ca
• Instagram: doreen velin
• Facebook: doreen.velin
• Youtube: doreen velin