Tia Crystal: Vision, Vulnerability and Miracles

“Once you agree to show up in your own life and agree to live it full on, every step of the way becomes an amazing experience. Complete surrender is so freeing and refreshing that it’s effortless. Today, I truly own happiness and know what it is like to live in inner peace. I am Tia Crystal, the Artist, who loves to create. I am free to show that in my work and to empower women to find their own paint brush buried deep within themselves.”

Becoming the supremely artistic woman Tia Crystal is today has taken a lifetime of travel and self-discovery that spanned a period of thirty years.

From the time she was a very little girl, Tia heard voices that she recognized as guidance from deep within. To her it was normal, just as children play with imaginary friends. She knew from very early on that she had a purpose to fulfill, and that one day she would share her inner voice with the world.

Tia was born and educated in London, England; her schooling in the late 1960s was strict and at times harsh. She had dyslexia, which was not as commonly recognized as it is today. The emotion of carrying the shame of her perceived lack of intelligence left her with an underlying feeling of stupidity, and to compensate Tia learned to delve deeper into her own world of imagination.

Her journey to who she is today has been a grace-filled transformation from obedient daughter to loving attentive wife and then to doting mother, culminating in her authentic reality today as a world-renowned visionary artist. During her early married years, Tia juggled working as an interior designer, always trying to be the best wife, mother, daughter and friend. She was, and remains, conscious, as all women are, of the tremendous pressure this can cause. “Life is not a random act,” she shared. “I believe life is a school of which we are in class daily. I yearned to learn; I wanted to know who I was and why I was here, to know my life’s purpose beyond wife and mother. When we are so used to being everything to everyone, we forget that person buried deep within.

“I only knew how to give, but to receive I would have to know what I wanted, who I was,” she continued. “I would have to allow myself to be vulnerable in order to be seen and not judged, to allow my inner core, my inner self, to be heard and to know it was safe to unlock the power I possessed that I didn’t even know existed. To know who I truly was. We create identities based on our relationships, our work and the teachings from our parents, but to find who we are is truly an amazing and wonderful life lesson.”

Tia Crystal’s story of how she found herself, the journey to receiving her spiritual gifts and discovering the passion to unlock the artist buried deep within, began on June 27, 2004. On this day, at the age of 40, Tia embarked on a life-changing journey to Italy with a small suitcase, faith in her inner guidance and a backpack, stepping into a world that would change her forever. “I left on my own pilgrimage, to walk in silence for ten days, in a place that I feel as deeply in my heart today as I did then, Assisi, Italy, in the countryside of Umbria, where the sunshine dances and kisses every blade of grass and every local’s face,” she reverently described. “And so I walked in silence, praying and asking for guidance for my life, my life purpose and why I was here. I became known as ‘the pilgrim walker’ to the locals. I learned how to go within, to quiet down my chatting mind and see and feel the beauty of me. I gave myself permission to just be ME.

“You can only give to others when you know how to give to yourself,” she continued. “By giving myself the time to enjoy this gift, I was actually teaching my children how to find their own gifts. My wings were open wide and I was soaring. I learned that once you truly experience the magnitude of living a more authentic, awake life, miracles start to happen.”

While walking in a valley one day, she noticed under a bush a brush seemingly waiting to be found, and a bottle cap with the letter T on it. “An artist was born that day!” she smiled. “Once you agree to show up in your own life and agree to live it full on, every step of the way becomes an amazing experience. Complete surrender is so freeing and refreshing that it’s effortless. Today, I truly own happiness and know what it is like to live in inner peace. I am Tia Crystal, the Artist, who loves to create. I am free to show that in my work and to empower women to find their own paint brush buried deep within themselves.” Now, ten years later, she has more than one thousand paintings in the world. Her unique technique is winning awards in New York City art shows and she has artwork hanging in palaces, chateaus, hospitals and homes all over the world.

As a mother of three wonderful children and a world full of color, Tia’s life to this day is full and overflowing with inner and outer beauty. Her children are her pride and joy, and she is inspired through teaching them to navigate their way through life with wisdom. “I feel that’s the gift I brought home from Italy, to teach them to believe in the journey of life, to know who they are and to follow their dreams. I want my children to know that it’s okay to be different, and to believe in their abilities, against all odds,” she mused. “I feel so blessed to create beauty in our world today where there is so much fear and turmoil. I strive to share one drop of hope, peace and joy every day; this is my inspiration to create, to paint, and I hope I can carry on doing this until the end of my journey. I am so passionate about this and I know it is felt when you see my art.” As the teacher she has become, she hopes to take other women on the “paintbrush” journey she experienced, traveling to Italy on a journey to empower and awaken their creativity.

In her new phase of work, Tia is exploring new materials and artistic ideas. Through painting on leather, plastic and wood surfaces, she has mastered the technique of allowing the readiness of the materials she uses to absorb and transform her unmatched color pigments. Her organic art, sometimes referred to as sculptured art, embodies the magnetic force of her creative genius.

Another art gallery is in the planning stages, together with her jewelry line called Butterfly Lily, which she partners with her daughter, Melissa. They both felt a need to honor their grandmother and great-grandmother, Lily, who taught them both about the finer things in life. “Each piece of jewelry is unique; there are no two pieces the same,” Tia described. “We want them to remind you of beauty, and to make you feel sensual and, most importantly, loved.”

Tia’s other passion is clothes, and she adores creating beauty and seeing women dress with that glow from the outside in. She is working on a line of beautiful artful pieces that women can wear to feel confident, empowered and beautifully unique. She describes it as “a cross between Boho gypsies and creative elegance with color and a sassy edge of individuality.”

Calling herself an artist took some time for Tia, as she has never had any formal training in art. “I tapped into a deeper, inner place of my imagination that over time as an artist I have mastered and developed into my own Tia Style, art encrusted with crystal and semi-precious stones, using molding knives, sand, wire and paint. Belief in God’s grace and guidance, joy and gratitude are my gifts to share.” When she holds her Empowered Creative Seminars, she shares her own journey of self-discovery, infusing others with the power to reach deep within and to find their own buried treasure. She believes that everyone is an artist and that there is much knowledge and wisdom waiting to be tapped. “We all have many gifts locked inside us that are waiting to be released.

“We as women are never too old, and it’s never too late. All we have to do is try, to take that first baby step. Trust in yourself; believe you can do it. Have chats with yourself when you feel you can’t, and if you fall know it’s okay. Remember, it took a while to learn how to crawl and then to walk. Don’t judge yourself; instead, love and appreciate your uniqueness, and then, watch out world, you have arrived! Ah, voilà! Life is truly an amazing journey when we allow ourselves to go within, to honor our vulnerability and to meet who we truly are along the way, instead of trying to copy, to follow. Giving ourselves the permission to express our own unique limitless beautiful self is truly our God-given gift to receive. When we choose to surrender, miracles happen every day.”

Please visit TiaCrystal.com for more information.