Reading Into The Artistic Life of Joya Cousin
The question of whether creativity is innate or learned is one that has been debated for centuries. Many believe that the former is inherited while others see it as a trait that can be acquired and developed over time.
According to Joya Cousin, a business executive turned portrait painter, anyone can nurture their inner creativity. She is a living testament to this as today she helps clients tell stories and leave lasting legacies through the fine art she produces from her studio in Cannes, Brittany France.
After nearly two decades working throughout the Caribbean, building a highly successful career in public accounting and executive-level roles in the hospitality and telecommunications sector, she is now creating world-class paintings filled with vibrancy and exquisite detail.
As she explains her story:
“I was working at a luxury resort and had just gotten a promotion. But something inside of me just said, ‘You know what? It’s time to move on.’ I felt a discomfort in my spirit, posting on Instagram at the time, ‘if you’re not comfortable where you are, you’re not a tree. Move.’ So that’s exactly what I did. I resigned from my job, packed up all my stuff and moved back to Antigua.”
She says that within a few days, a very good friend of hers who is Italian reached out to her to say, “there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” And, so eventually, we went out on a blind date for sushi and fell in love that night. That was in 2015.
With a bubbly resonance in her voice, she recounted how the man she had dinner with that evening is now her husband. As the story goes:
“He was a French man who happened to be spending some time in Antigua. We only had 10 days together, you know, but it was an incredible time. At the end, he seemed very sure about what he wanted. He wanted to be with me. He wanted to make that happen.”
He eventually went back to France, says Joya, but was very persistent in staying in touch.
“I went off, you know, for a girl’s vacation in Cuba, but he was calling me all the time.”
She ended up cutting her vacation short to accept a CEO position with a telecom company. That’s when the unthinkable happened:
“Soooo, he moved to St. Kitts, you know. He didn’t know what the future was gonna hold, but he was, like, ‘You know what? This is it for me. I’m joining you.’ And it was incredible, you know.”
Despite not being 100 percent certain, they decided after eight months to move to France and see if they jump-start their journey together. So that’s what they did.
Over time she fell deeply in love with the man who would eventually become her husband all the while discovering a love for painting.
Today, she employs a vivid, realistic style in painting portraits for corporate clients as well as individuals across a wide spectrum of lifestyles and professions. Her artistic creations of individuals, couples, families, and pets, have made their way to a growing number of locales including France, Spain, Russia, Ireland, the UK, the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
“I’ve been doing this for the past two-and-a-half years. I’m self-taught, and that basically happened as a result of me getting married, living here in France, and trying to sort of teach myself how to speak French. So doing the whole housewife thing, and then just being inspired to start pursuing just an artistic project.”
She says that her journey began when she stumbled upon a 100 days of art challenge
“I just randomly saw somebody doing it on Instagram and decided to try it out. We got married. And I had no job. I couldn’t speak the language, but there I was at home, taking my French lessons, and just decided to start doodling, doing my 100 days of art. And, at first, I began just doing sort of random pictures of like, maybe a flower. So that’s how I got started.”
What’s particularly astonishing is that she has been doing this for only for about 5 years.
“I’m self-taught. All of this basically happened on the heels of me getting married, living here in France, and trying to sort of teach myself how to speak French. I was just doing the whole housewife thing before becoming inspired to start pursuing artistic projects.”
All of this, she says, led her to want to explore watercolors and acrylics.
“I wanted to actually start to paint. So one day, I did a sketch of a face using a colored pencil. I hadn’t done anything like that since I was maybe 10 or 11 years old. It felt so good. In fact, I tell people that it felt for me like the world shifted a little bit on its axis because it seemed like something inside of me moved.”
Two days later she did another one. And then a few days after that, she did a painting with acrylics, another portrait. That’s when, a few days in, she said to her husband, “There’s something I want to explore here,” He said, “You’re really good. I support you. Go for it. Let’s go get some paint.”
So that’s what they did and Joya hasn’t stopped since.
“That was in 2017. It’s been nearly five years already, and I’m loving the journey.”
On the marriage front, Joya also admits to being a complete romantic.
“Love changed my life. I basically walked away from everything in life for love. For me, finding love is something that holds great meaning for me. I was this independent woman but My Dad, who passed away quite a while ago, always wanted me to find love. But I’m glad I didn’t settle earlier.”
The Art of Books
Joya says that she has always had a fondness for books and reading, habits that were encouraged during her formative years
“I would say that I actually read voraciously as a child up to around the age of 11. And then I hardly read at all until my early 30s. I read a few books here and there. I read, you know, some Ayn Rand. I read a lot of Maya Angelou.”
Asked about what books have had a particular significance in her life, she had this to say:
“While living in the Grenadines somewhere around 2003 or 2004, I came across this book by Steven Pressfield called “The War of Art,” the title of which is, of course, a play on words from the famous book by Sun Tzu called the “Art of War.”
“It’s a short nonfiction book that while primarily directed towards creatives, is useful to just about anyone. Because I feel as though everyone has the seeds of something incredible in terms of the gifts they can offer the world. That could be something as simple as being a parent. It doesn’t have to be an artist, writer, CEO, or an inventor.”
Joya believes that this book may have quietly planted a seed in her through a concept that Pressfield calls “Resistance.”
“In the book, he refers to the word Resistance with a capital R, the force he says that lives in us and hinders us from achieving what we’re meant to be in terms of bringing one’s hero’s journey to its fulfillment.”
She says that the book may have unconsciously given her the courage that she needed to get started
“Honestly, I hadn’t really been thinking about the book when I started on this artistic journey. But I believe it planted a seed that spoke to me where I thought ‘maybe there is a creative person inside of me. Maybe I can bring that out.”
Joya says she reads the book at least twice a year to revisit the wisdom that the author shares:
“I think Steven Pressfield is absolutely amazing. I follow him on social media. I would love to meet him one day.”
Joya also weighed in on an author that’s has had meaning for her over the years:
“I would say the author who has had the biggest impact on me is Brian Tracy. I’ve pretty much read almost all of his books. One of my favorites is ‘Eat That Frog’ which is among his most popular titles which looks at the subject of procrastination. Two of my others would be a book called ‘Goals’ and one called ‘Million Dollar Habits.’”
She continues:
“I have realized that while setting goals and making plans is important, it’s the things that we do every single day that make the difference in our lives and change who we become. That mindset is something I’ve embraced in becoming an artist. So I still record all the hours that I put in every single day. I’ve kept a record of that from the beginning. And it’s the discipline of putting in those hours day after day, whether you feel like it or not, that’s going to improve your skill level.
Brian Tracy has definitely been the one author that had the biggest sort of impact on me before becoming an artist. But, even now, I still reread his books almost every year. And I have one of his quotes sort of stuck to my computer that talks about the key to self-esteem being mastery of your work. So, if you’re ever feeling bad about yourself, there’s one very good way to improve that, and that’s to go do a good job. You’ll feel better about yourself as a result of bringing something into the world.”
Asked about whether she prefers reading hardcover, paperback, digital books, or audiobooks, Joya had this to say:
“You know, honestly, before, I would have said that I love a good hardcover book largely because I enjoy the feel of it. I love the weight, the size, and enjoy seeing them on my bookshelf. However, I moved around a lot in my early life. And it felt like every time, I was lugging at least a portion of my favorite books along because, you know, it just feels so great to have them with me.”
But she says that her habits around this changed around 2011 when the iPhone and e-books emerged:
“I would be walking my dog and reading at the same time. It was a little dog, so I could actually do that. She walked slowly. And then, of course, a few years later, I got into audiobooks.
But once I got into my 30s, I got into the habit of e-books which just seemed to make things so much simpler. And then, once audiobooks came along, I could actually listen to books on my commute. So I would say that although I love physical books, those have been my habits over the last 10 years. And, of course, once I moved to France, I basically donated my beautiful bookshelf. So I probably have about 150 books that have remained with me through my travels.”
She referenced Audible.com as her best friend when it comes to reading.
“I have hundreds, you know. I’ve read and listened to about 800 books or so in the last 10-11 years”
She says that she also spends a great deal of time on Goodreads.com.
“I have my list of “want-to-read” books. Then I’ll hop over to Amazon and download a sample of the book just to see what it’s really about. I look through it and review the Table of Contents. I’ll read through the first few pages just to see, you know, if it’s working for me. And then I’ll decide whether I want to buy it. So, literally, Amazon and goodreads.com are my bookstores right now. This has been particularly true during the pandemic.”
She admits to really enjoying the online shopping experience for books.
“I love the fact that you can sample the books and, you know, to see what’s going on. It’s almost like being in a bookstore. Honestly, it’s been 15 years or more since I did the whole physical bookstore thing, to be quite honest with you. But, of course, I did enjoy bookstores back in the day.”
Asked for a few concluding thoughts about her lifelong journey in the world of books, Joya had this to say:
“I shudder to think what my life would have been if I hadn’t discovered reading. Even at a young age, I think it opened up my mind to possibilities and to embracing and accepting myself. In the end, I think books kind of give us a mirror into ourselves and an opportunity to see various aspects of ourselves, various ways of being, trying a lot of new identities, stimulating our dreams, and finding out about other ways of being. It’s a journey I find absolutely fascinating as books kind of give us the tools to navigate along the way.”