Your Guide for 2026. Conversation with Valerie HuArt, an Artist and musician from Paris.
A new year is always an opportunity to reflect, reset, and focus on what we truly want to create in our lives. One powerful practice I’ve found is choosing one word or phrase to guide the year — something that represents the theme you want your year to embody.
For 2026, my guiding phrase is “Loving Fulfillment.” It reminds me to live with joy, purpose, and intention, and to nurture both my passions and my relationships. Choosing a theme helps us focus on how we want the year to feel and what we want to prioritize.
Alongside a guiding word or phrase, you can also create 1–3 annual intentions — simple, clear focus points for the year that help you bring your theme to life in practical ways.
“ I want to believe…in my dreams” – Valerie HuArt (Free improvisation festival in Mulhouse, workshop, France, aug. 2025)
I was reminded of this approach recently when I spoke with my friend Valerie, who lives in Paris, France. She is an incredible person — a musician who plays the harp and also a medical doctor, a cardiologist. I asked her if she could give advice to people who are creative and, like her, have a day job but want to pursue their art.
Valerie shared:
There was a period of time in my life, for 10 years, that I didn’t play any music because I didn’t have my instrument, my harp, with me. So I quit being a musician then. However, later I purchased an electric harp. I managed to buy it and I started to play again. My joy comes from playing music with other musicians, with other people. We jam, we play live projects.
One advice I would like to give to all creative people this year is to ask yourself if you have great joy practicing your art for yourself first. Because when you have joy, it makes you come alive and be full of joy doing your art. One of my mentors told me years ago to have fun when doing this. In other words, to have fun when playing music. Fun is contagious.
So my advice for all the creative people who want to pursue their passion and art is to have fun with what you love to do, whether it’s music, fine art, or anything else creative. Once you feel joy and fun doing it, you can share it with the world.”
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Valerie’s words are a beautiful reminder that our passions can coexist with our responsibilities, and that joy is the fuel that sustains creativity.
On the photos – in Valerie’s words:
Featured photo on top of this blog post:
“The Seine near Paris where I refill inspiration since adolescence, lately under the snow “ – in Valerie’s words.
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7. Free improvisation orchestra gig, at beautiful Saint Merry church in Paris (I’m behind my harp) first part of ONCEIM professional Orchestra.
“This is not easy music to listen to, it’s totally improvised in a particular mood state of mind, the instrument is prepared like John Cage’s pianos, and played in the most unconventional way, with tools, amplification and gears,…and my little fingers.
It’s “free improvisation” a particular movement of experimental music, coming from a mix of free jazz, experimental and concrete music, and it’s atonal, arythmic and non conformist in term of construction and évolution of the live piece. And of course totally improvised.
I am humbly happy to share these personal pieces played live with you. It’s not professional recording but not that bad in term of sound restitution quality.
With love,
Valerie HuArt, The Harp-Machine”
Link to Valerie’s Music here 🎶🎶🌹
Remember Valerie’s advice: find joy in what you love to do, have fun, and share it with the world.
When your art or passion comes from a place of loving fulfillment, it ripples outward — into your life and the lives of others.
