When the Universe Hands You a Yes

There are moments in life that don’t feel planned – they feel handed to you. My recent exhibition at Torre delle Arti in Bellagio, Lake Como was one of those moments. I wasn’t chasing it, I wasn’t waiting for the “perfect time.” It unfolded because I said yes to an opportunity, and the universe met me halfway.

It started almost by chance. I had posted a video of Lake Como with a caption that read, “my life in 5 years.” An artist living in the area saw it, reached out, and invited me to join her residency. I noticed she was preparing for a group exhibition just two months later, and I asked if I could join. She said yes.

Before you know it, I was packing my bags.

What began as an invitation to show one or two pieces became something larger. The gallery owner, with a generosity I’ll never forget, opened additional rooms. Suddenly, I wasn’t just contributing – I was curating an exhibition that included works born in Lake Como itself.

Painting in the Grass

The collection wasn’t premeditated. It emerged out of presence. Each canvas became a meditation – layered washes of diluted acrylics that mirrored the lake’s own fluidity.

I painted outdoors, in the grass, letting the movement of water and light guide the gradients. These pieces weren’t just inspired by Como; they carried it. Still Water Runs Deep, Wish You Were Here, Return to Self – each one a dialogue between stillness and motion, restraint and release.

They became the core of the exhibition – not because I planned it that way, but because the work demanded it.

From Artist to Curator

The shift came when I was signing the canvases, arranging them, making choices about what belonged where. I wasn’t just showing paintings; I was shaping an atmosphere. Visitors walked in and saw the water reflected back at them. They told me my work reminded them of the lake itself – the depths, the calm, the mystery.

That’s when it sank in: I wasn’t an artist trying to belong. I was an artist defining the space.

A Lesson in Reinvention

What this experience taught me is simple: you can rebrand your life in an instant. Not by pretending to be someone else, but by fully stepping into who you already are.

One day you’re painting in the grass. The next, your work is hanging in Bellagio. The difference isn’t luck. It’s focus. It happens because you’re willing to say no to what doesn’t align, and yes to what does.

The right doors open when you do.

The Setting

Exhibiting in Torre delle Arti, a stone gallery overlooking Lake Como, was more than a milestone. It was proof that the spaces we dream of can become the spaces we inhabit – when we’re willing to act boldly, to trust our work, and to stand behind it.

Closing Thought

This wasn’t the exhibition I would have meticulously planned for my first. It was raw, imperfect, alive. And that’s what made it unforgettable.

Art isn’t about waiting for the perfect stage. It’s about creating with presence, showing up with courage, and letting the work speak louder than hesitation.

Because when you do, the universe doesn’t just open a door – it hands you the key.

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