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Authentic View by Andra, Brasov (2026)

06/01/2026

At the beginning of this new year, I wish you:
🌟 to find moments to feel grateful for all the good things that are already present in your life;
🌟 to allow yourself to dream about what you want to create next, and to have the courage to pursue those dreams and/or make the changes you feel are necessary.

We can look at these two aspects as holding one in each hand.
🪬 In one hand, I hold my resources - especially my internal resources. Among them, the energy that comes from being grateful for what already exists in my life is so powerful.
🪬 In the other hand, I hold my aspirations: the aspects that still need to be changed, worked on, or manifested.
We are capable of change and positive transformation at every stage of our lives. These processes require resources, trust, support - and, of course, consistent ACTION.

Most of us did not necessarily receive enough education on how to accomplish our dreams, unblock creative potential, or make effective and lasting changes in our lives. The good news is that there are people who specialise in these areas, who write books and teach us about these valuable processes. Their aim is to make this know-how accessible beyond some circles such as researchers or academia.

Here are a few authors and books I warmly recommend:
❄️ Julia Cameron - "The Artist’s Way" (a book with a 12-week programme to unblock creativity, which I completed in 2025)
❄️ Nicole Vignola - "Rewire: Break the Cycle, Alter Your Thoughts and Create Lasting Change (Your Neurotoolkit for Everyday Life)"
❄️ Mirela Oprea - "Dream Management" (available, as far as I know, only in Romanian).

After spending many years abroad, I realised that it was my dream to return and live in Brașov, a city close to the mountains, in the heart of Transylvania. However, the process of coming back home was a long one on a psychological level. The move itself was fast, on a physical level. But the inner journey took several years, between aspiration, decision, and then consciously managing the change afterwards, in order to truly bring myself here.

I’m sharing a collage with some recent snowy photos. Brașov is often described as a fairytale city, filled with magic - and it attracts many tourists in every season. After the clouds gifted us with more snow, I must say I truly felt and saw this magic, especially in my relationship with the surrounding nature.

14/12/2024

This week I attended a very special event in Brasov, Transylvania. A delicious cocktail between art, with incredible paintings created by a local artist, and music played by a violinist. The event was hosted at the local agency of the National Bank of Romania, an historic building in the center of Brasov.

I discovered the visual universe of Romeo Paraschivescu, known as PARROC, and I was truly impressed by the expressivity and aliveness of the colors in his art 🌈
I felt very lucky to experience this cultural moment, organized by Galeria de Arta Transilvania and CultART. Moreover, the ArtUP project aims to support Romanian artists at both the national and international level.

Last, but not least, we were warmly welcomed by some employees of the National Bank, and it was the occasion to visit the building, known as the Czell Palace, which became the bank’s head office after 1950. At the end of the event, we were invited to make a guided tour of their exhibition about the origin and history of our national currency (the guide was an economist working at the bank).

The history of the Romanian “leu” (which means lion) began in the 17th century when in the Danube Principalities Dutch talers were used as money, having a rampant lion engraved on them. Even after the taler fell out of use, it still represented a unit of calculation under the name of "leu", in which all prices were expressed in the following years.

**All photos are taken by Authentic View by Andra

11/11/2023

[creative writing / IA generated image]
I present you Lisa, a character I imagined for a story I wrote last year (that in fact has several versions). She has been in my imagination for a good while and I asked the Image Creator from Bing to create her as digital art. I am quite pleased with the process because it’s so fun to indicate the details: the colors of her dress and of the couch, the window with view on the rooftops of Montmartre (Paris).

Lisa is a British woman living in Paris and teaching English. She is fond of dancing and there is also a pole dance bar in her not so big living room. Her best friend is Elvis the cat, with whom she shares her wildest dreams and nice reading moments. 😉🐱

Lisa has good emotional management and in general she is detached from more intense situations. However, there are experiences in life that touch her more profoundly, and in these cases she can get overwhelmed by emotions...But she is aware that those situations are doorways towards a more profound knowledge of herself and of others. 🌟

Image generated by IA (DALL·E 3 on Microsoft Bing)

09/07/2023

[atelier d'écriture]
Comme introvertie, j’adore écrire de façon personnelle, intime, sans auto-censure. Exprimer librement mes pensées et mes sentiments me fait beaucoup de bien.
Lorsqu’on écrit des contenus à publier, c’est créatif, bien sûr, mais il y a toujours une réflexion par rapport à ce qu’on partage (ou pas) avec nos lecteurs.
Et, en même temps, il y a une vraie joie du partage. Pour cela, j’ai été très contente de pouvoir animer pour la première fois un atelier d’écriture, qui a eu lieu à Lyon, au TUBA. C’était dans le cadre du troc de geste initié par l’association CIVITANO.

J’ai proposé un moment d’écriture autour du vécu sensoriel, avec la présence de la musique ou d’un instrument. J’ai bien apprécié le texte de Baptiste Trouinard, qui m’a donné l’accord pour le partager ici. En outre, Baptiste m’a épatée avec sa démarche structurée pour son projet d’écriture, inspiré par une histoire familiale.

« Je marche dans le désert du Sahara pour la première fois de ma vie. J'avais vu la mer en 1936, je retrouve cette immensité dans laquelle se déploie mon intériorité. Nous marchons ensemble, mes frères d'armes et moi-même, en rythme, en cadence. Nous ne faisons plus qu'un. Et la musique bat son plein avec les trompettes du régiment et les tambours battant. 1 - 2 - 1 - 2. Et les chants qui s'enchaînent inlassablement. Ma gorge est sèche, je me sens déshydraté mais il n'y a nulle part ailleurs dans le monde où je voudrais être, c'est ici que je suis, c'est là que j'appartiens. J'ai chaud, très chaud. Et mes bottes s'enfoncent dans le sable ... Je me retourne, les traces que je pensais avoir laissé pour l'éternité sont déjà parties ... Le vent balaie tout sur son passage, tout comme le temps. Au loin retentit la Marseillaise. »
Algérie, 1961
Texte écrit par Baptiste Trouinard

05/02/2023

[winter time / music / book ]
A Sunday in February. It’s cold and it’s raining. I would prefer snow, but that’s very rare in Lyon. I’ve been wandering lately how to better live in winter and what this means for me. I know for sure that it’s not escaping when possible to sunny and warmer places. I love travelling, but I think it’s important to learn to live well in each season.

Yeah, winter comes with short days, long nights, cold and grey weather. How to stay alive (even if our energy is naturally lower compared to summer time) and find the inner sun?
I realised that music is so important for me and it helps me a lot: listening to good music, singing and playing instruments, going to concerts. The good news of January was that the public library in Lyon started for the first time to borrow musical instruments (at the music section in Part-Dieu). I think it’s an excellent idea, I haven’t heard of this kind of public service before, but I really hope it can develop in other cities too, in France and in other countries.

So I borrowed a djembe, a West African instrument, on which I can practice during 6 weeks and I’m so excited about it (even if I’m a beginner and my practicing is very experimental). This Terre Djembe Carved Dragon sounds very well and its design brings a glimpse of Africa at home! When I’m playing, my mind gets empty, I only focus on every vibe. Rhythm is so important: the rhythm of music and dance, the rhythm of live. For me, practicing hand drumming is a great way to connect to my heart and the rhythm of my soul.

To finish, here is a quote from one of my favourite books, “Women Who Run With the Wolves,” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés (that I recommend to every woman):
“How does one evoke the soul? There are many ways: through meditation, or through the rhythm of running, drumming, singing, writing, painting, making music, seeing performances of great beauty, by the prayer, contemplation, rite, ritual, stillness, and even moods and ideas that lift us up. These are all ways of calling upon the soul and bringing it from its home.”

Photo: © Andra Rogoz

07/07/2022

[place / author]
Yesterday, my choice was to visit my favourite bookshop in Brasov (Romania), called Carturesti, where I found a volume of poetry written by Nichita Stanescu.
The poems were chosen by Matei Visniec, a Romanian playwright, poet and journalist living in Paris (his books are published in Romania and in France, where he is well known in the theatre world).
Visniec about Nichita Stanescu:
“The poetic language invented by Nichita was at the same time a new continent and a means of navigation. More than any other poet, from Nichita I learned that poetry can be compass and instrument of knowledge, ritual and mystery, exploration of the self and joy of living, form of freedom and means of liberation, glided flight above all other disciplines of the spirit and expression of all that the senses and the brain can produce more beautiful and subtle together.”

̆nescu

11/02/2022

[communication / book]
How to speak about a book in a creative way?

We often talk about books we like, but what about trying something new? Visual Thinking is an approach which is fun, creative and effective in order to focus on the main aspects one wants to communicate (through the use of key words, drawings, symbols, colours…).
I start using it more myself (even if my drawing talents are still around the age of 5, but that’s fine ;-)) and suggesting it to persons I work with.

I share here an example of a visual support made by one participant to a workshop I propose in English. This is how Anne presented the “The Overstory” book, written by Richard Powers. On the branches of the tree she wrote the names of the persons present in the book through different stories around activism, resistance and the natural world.

“From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers’s twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.” Source: goodreads.com

Visual made by Anne Juge

30/06/2021

[creativity / author]
Last week I animated a training session on creativity at work, during 2 days (14 hours). It was quite a challenge since the participants work in very different domains, but that’s what I like about this broad approach of creativity and the belief that we can all be more creative in our lives and at work.
I share with you the word cloud made with the words proposed by the participants (in French), associated to CREATIVITY (generated online by Wooclap).

Creativity could be defined in different ways, but let’s first think of having new ideas, doing things in a different way, opening up to new perspectives…which can result into new projects or better solutions.

Before considering methods or tools, it’s essential to understand how creativity works at an individual level and why it’s so important in our lives.

“Habits . . . reduce man to the status of a conditioned automaton. The creative act, by connected previously unrelated dimensions of experience, enables him to attain a higher level of mental evolution. It is an act of liberation – the defeat of habit by originality.”
Koestler, A. (1964). The Act of Creation

07/05/2021

[ode to nature]
Mindful walking has been one of the activities that really helped me a lot during the pandemic. It’s a chance to be able to enjoy nature in a big city as Lyon, especially during the spring lockdowns that we have lived.
I made this short video during a morning walk, while I was going up on the Magneval street in the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood.
The "concert" is given by several bird species, I can recognize the blackbird ("merle", in French) and the chickadee ("mésange", in Fr).

This is an ode to nature, that I’ve always loved, but since last year I’ve appreciated the connection to it even more.
Nature is essential to human life on Earth, so let's protect and encourage it as much as we can !

17/04/2021

[travel / author]
Get on a red bike and let’s fly to Montevideo ! :)
Travelling during this pandemic is more a dream or a souvenir then reality. But doing fewer activities, going nowhere, is also the occasion to go back to those trips from the past.
Go back not only to the photos, but especially to the inner space and inspiration those places left in my heart. Beyond the images, the people I met there or the feeling of the ocean wind. The sound of the tango…
This is an invitation that I make to you, not only to this travel to Uruguay I made in 2017, but also to connect to those spaces inside yourself, souvenirs of places or experiences that still live within yourself and can bring you light and inspiration during challenging times.
Pico Iyer, travel writer and one of my favourite TED speakers, writes in his book “The Art of Stillness – Adventures in Going Nowhere” : “All the horizontal trips in the world can’t compensate for the need to go deep into somewhere challenging and unexpected. Movement makes richest sense when set within a frame of stillness.”

10/04/2021

[expérience de vie / livre]
L’année dernière, une amie m’a offert un livre. Il est devenu mon ami. Tout comme les platanes dans la cour de l’hôpital où j’ai passé 24 jours étaient devenus mes amis (ma maladie n’était pas liée à Covid, mais à un autre méchant virus). Des amis qui m’ont beaucoup réconfortée. Qui m’ont donné la foi.

Durant une pandémie, limités dans nos déplacements et activités, quel sens donner aux épreuves collectives et individuelles ?

Aujourd’hui j’ai envie de partager avec vous quelques extraits de ce livre : « Face aux arbres - Apprendre à les observer pour les comprendre » de Christophe Drénou. La citation de Robert Bourdu, que j'ai écrite dans le visuel, en fait partie.
« Si votre vie court un danger, votre premier réflexe sera la fuite. Si vous êtes physiquement blessé, votre corps mettra tout en ouvre pour cicatriser les plaies. Mais toutefois, il existe des circonstances sans possibilité de fuite telles l’emprisonnement, la maladie ; et certaines blessures d’ordre psychologique ne se referment jamais. Aussi étrange que cela puisse paraître, vous vous retrouvez alors dans un état proche de celui des arbres. »
« Que vous soyez arbre ou humain, votre salut passe par la résilience, cette ‘capacité à se développer quand même, dans des environnements qui auraient dû être délabrants’ (Boris Cyrulnik). Vous devrez commencer par justement résilier votre engagement vis-à-vis des règles conventionnelles de développement personnel. Comment ? Si vous êtes arbre, en vous libérant des proportions dictées par les canons de l’arbre modèle… ».

05/04/2021

I am so happy to present you my project, Authentic View. It is at its very beginning, I'm working on the blog creation, but I'm already feeling very excited about it.
It’s good to transform ideas into reality, to go on with small steps, as creating a page.
I will share here about my experiences and passions, and also about inspiring and creative people. One of my aims is to organise meetings and workshops, using some tools and methods that allow people to communicate in an authentic way.
So, let’s see where it will take us!

Authentic View by Andra

06/01/2026

14/12/2024

11/11/2023

09/07/2023

05/02/2023

07/07/2022

11/02/2022

30/06/2021

07/05/2021

17/04/2021

10/04/2021

05/04/2021

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