Dodo Newman – Leaving Monaco for Berlin

Multi-talented abstract artist and author of the “Creating again” book, Dodo Newman, shares her inspiring story of why she left Monaco for the German capital, Berlin.

Let’s rewind the time to 2012, when artist Dodo Newman took Monaco by storm. Invited by the Monaco Business Society, Dodo was one of the first speakers at the Club Residents Etrangers Monaco (CREM). Over the course of the next year, she has inspired many residents, International University of Monaco (IUM) MBA students, and she has created two artworks for the Princely family.

Since then, she has moved to Berlin, Germany, but never stopped to share her years and experiences in Monaco. Recently, she was one of the honorary guests at the Annual Diplomatic Reception of the Principality of Monaco.

It’s now been a decade since you decided to live in Berlin, Germany. What has your journey been like since you left Monaco?

“Since that period, I have had huge transformations and blessings in various forms and on many levels in my life. One of my favourite quotes from Marcel Proust would describe the best way this period of my journey:

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes”.

During this period of transformation, I began to see in a new light all areas that were important for me: myself, my art, my dreams, my relationships with other people, with money, and with success.

Also, it was during that time that I became a mother. I can truly say that my daughter is my creation and also my greatest spiritual teacher. I have learnt through her to honour and be my true Self .

I also went through a very difficult, life-changing phase with lots of dark moments, struggles, seemingly impossible obstacles and challenges. I found myself in heartbreaking and hard-life situations where I thought I had lost everything and everyone around me. As an artist, I had to figure out how to give, spiritually and materially, to myself and to my child. 

I used this dark phase to dig into my Soul and face my biggest fears in order to transform and renew myself, and through it, to find my heart, which is my art and my dreams. It was during this hard and dark period that I found light within myself and re-created my story and life through a process of inner work, acceptance, and self-love.

You see, when you are in the dark, you have to first work with it. The effort and work put into it are the light in themselves that guides you out of the darkness. And this is what I went through. I had strong faith in my true Self and knew deep inside that I was more than my hard times or struggles, that I had a purpose to follow and reflect back this transformation to others as well through my art.

I received the greatest blessings, gifts, revelations, and awakening points in this dark period, from which new expressions, relationships, dreams, and doors opened up. I am now in the rising phase of the journey, aiming high and appreciating all that life has to offer at the same time,” – says Dodo.

Dodo is the author of the “Out of the box innovation” book, from which she created lectures at the International University of Monaco. In 2023, she published a new book called “Creating again”.

What was your inspiration to write this book?

“This book is an inspirational reflection and journey around the hardest part of my life when I hit rock bottom. It was a period when I stopped creating in every sense. On this journey, as I found my true Self, I started creating again in my life areas and also in my art. I realised, especially during the pandemic, that I can give back from my own experiences to others in similar situations of struggle and pain when everything seems to be dark around us. I also realised how, as a culture, we don’t speak and share enough about our hard times and falls, which is part of any creation, not only that of an artist. 

This is why I decided to collect my past writings and pull them all together in the form of a teaching memoir. It is to inspire not only artists or creatives but anyone who has found themselves in a dead end, hitting the bottom. We are all creators of our lives, and with this book, I intend to give back this personal experience of how I found my true inner Self and started to create again.”

Do you still believe that art can inspire business?

“Art is life itself; it is the creative energy that is realised in the form of music, painting, literature, films, etc. Creativity is not limited solely to art; it relates to an essential way of thinking, visualising, and problem-solving outside the obvious in all areas of life, such as business. We all have and use this creative energy in our everylives, like when we talk with others, cook, rearrange our homes, choose our clothing, create presentations, plan a new business model, etc. 

In business, just as in other fields of life, the ways of finding solutions to challenges, of seeking out new ideas, new visions and going about to make them real is art in itself, it also involves the imagination. 

It takes a different mindset, one that is open to the new, the different, the unusual, the one that does not limit itself to the ordinary, average things. It needs to be curious and open to ways of bringing forth new processes, paths, products, solutions that support humans without harming anyone.

I believe the future of any field in life, including that of business too, will include more of such thinking, creative state of being for the reason of transforming, renewing stale, worn-out patterns. Just think of the way many new businesses are developing in their structural forms with innovative structures intended to support human growth and our Planet. 

Think also about the products that are being developed, more and more including original, creative elements, designs, aiming to bring a different perspective and touch into people’s lives.

Creativity – and not only art – and creative thinking should be taught and encouraged in schools. Not only are science, technology, mathematics important, learning in the traditional way, according to structured and defined themes. 

I believe children should be given the freedom to make use of their creative mindset, which will support them later on, no matter what fields they will choose to work and live in.

Innovation in any field is art itself, no wonder we call anything “the art of …”. It takes time but also the courage to build something new from nothing. In business, just like in art, when the intention is to bring about new solutions to problems, challenges, to realise new products, services for the betterment, it takes time and openness to create and make these happen.

As weird as it may sound, I truly believe that when one creates art it is in the same state of being, mind-set as when one develops new things in business, in science, or in other fields too. An artist is a creator and we all have that Creator within us.”

What makes someone become an artist?

“Everyone comes to life with this creative energy and drive to create. This creativity stays in different degrees within every one of us as we grow up throughout the years. There is a difference between making art and using art as your mission.

An artist is one who goes after his or her calling, no matter which part of life it appears in. Being an artist is quite a privilege, as you have the opportunity to be part of both the invisible world of creative energies and the physical one.

In my life, as I was growing up, even though I was gifted with creativity and lots of passion for all that is art and creativity, I was given a big “no” signal in my environment. Notwithstanding the continuous and further “no”s I found my way towards it. There were many points when seemingly everything was against all I had been striving for. However, even in these periods and circumstances, I kept on believing and knowing this is my path and mission.

What makes an artist stand out is that art becomes a part of his or her life in every sense. It becomes part of how he or she makes a living from it, how he or she lives and how he or she balances it with other parts of life such as family, parenting, community, peers, daily routines, health, etc.

I always say that I do not create art; I express my Soul and inspiration’s voice, that invisible life force through art.”

Do you think struggle is a necessary element in an artist’s life?

“I believe that contrast is a necessary element in life, especially in that of the artist, until he or she finds, or rather feels his or her way through them. But rather than struggle, I would call it a self-revealing cycle, or the hero’s journey. Struggle is a choice, while cycles of challenge are necessary for growth.

It is a path from darkness to self-revelation, until the point where the artist does not need this learning anymore. It is the dark night of the Soul, during which transformations on a deep level happen.

An artist is a person who is curious enough to rise above our collective thoughts and beliefs in order to find new perspectives, thoughts, and ideas. It requires great courage and belief to seek and bring back new ways and visions to others while not getting lost or pulled back.

I believe every true artist has a journey of revelation, a story to tell, which has given them depth and the inner light to rise again.

The most successful artists, through their own journeys into the dark night of the Soul have not only opened up new doors to humanity as a whole but at the same time have also found new levels of awareness, contributing to renewal and transformation in every field.”

In your view, what is more important: the art, the artist, or the artwork?

“Everything is connected; we cannot separate the art from the artist or from the artwork. This is why art is for our Soul like our heart is for our body, giving our Soul and body the necessary life energy.

The artwork is the self-expression of the artist: all the dreams, hopes, struggles, pain, fear, love, and strength; the ups and downs; the ebbs and flows of life. The artist lives through the artworks and seeks self-realisation through them.

Understanding the artist behind the artwork is crucial from my point of view, because this is the only way one can grasp its meaning and essence. If you get a glimpse of how the artist comes to the final idea and realisation of the artwork, you can get a feeling and an overview of the layers and the steps in life that led to it. The artwork is the final realisation of many moments of thoughts, inspirations, ideas, life experiences, insights and momentums, that have led to it.

However, from the point of view of the artist, once an artwork is finished, it does not belong anymore to him or her. The artwork has its own life cycle and continues its own mission.”

Since 2012, you have been a mother yourself. How has this new circumstance influenced your art?

“I never imagined having a child; somehow it was never among my plans. For a long time, my artworks were my babies.

The birth of a child is always a miracle; it is life celebrating itself. When I first saw my daughter after giving birth, my first expression was, “How beautiful she is!” just like an artwork. This is the way I have been seeing her, as well as motherhood since then.

Being a mother has given me a new dimension of life, which has also been infused into how I see myself and how I can give this back to others in the form of art. 

Through her, I have received and learned many important and helpful teachings for my creation process and other areas of life, such as patience, understanding, opening up my heart, unconditional love, and caring for myself.

To look into my daughter’s eyes every day and to see the love shining through has opened my own eyes to loving myself, as well as to the notion of how precious life is, which has been an important element in my art.”

You have two very different “jobs”. You are a mother as well as an artist. How difficult is it for a single mother to focus on her artistic inspirations as well as to find priorities and balances?

“It is definitely a challenge to find the right balance between all these various elements; the material and the spiritual; the unseen and the physical, to be true to all these parts at the same time. 

As an artist, the challenge is to find my way in both my spiritual awareness as well as the material one in a balanced way, like yin and yang. One is needed for the other, they are interlinked. I believe many artists tend to lose themselves in one world or the other.

One of the key elements to having the right balance is finding peace and stillness within. I went through a very difficult and hard time when there was much chaos and tough moments around me almost every single day, during which I had almost no inspiration or strength to focus on my art. It was incredibly difficult to keep my priorities in everyday moments. 

I found refuge in connecting with my Soul every day and moment, and I found my peace and healing bit by bit. As my heart opened up again and I reconnected with my true Self, my dreams, and my faith in myself, not only did my inspirations return but also the different parts of my life started to fall back into place again.

Contrary to what many people believe, being true to art and giving through and with it requires positive discipline and perseverance every day and moment. The discipline I put into everyday tasks has helped me put it into my spiritual and artistic development as well. I look at this task as my platform to be wiser and better than I was yesterday in both the spiritual and material worlds, and to inspire and motivate others to not give up on their highest desires, dreams, and faith in realising them.”

How do you see and experience being a woman artist today?

“I see and still feel a lot of bias and challenges in the art world for women artists. There are a lot of misconceptions as to what a woman artist represents, what they stand for, and how they find their success and balance in life. I believe motherhood and changes in roles are one of the main reasons for this misconception. It is indeed a great task to maintain the focus on art while being with one or more children, especially since art and motherhood are both lifetime vocations. On the other hand, motherhood opens up another level of consciousness for the artist, which, when expressed through art, can achieve unimagined levels of intensity. In my eyes, the changing roles and transformation that a woman goes through in her life path are an advantage and not a disadvantage.

My lifetime aim is to inspire others through my art and life. I want to give other people strength and belief in themselves through my own life, showing that a woman can be at the same time an artist standing in her own inner power, a woman with beauty, confidence, and grace, as well as a mother who is caring and full of compassion. She can have harmonious relationships in her private as well as artistic life and can be an active artist, bringing spiritual and material value to people.”

Do you think there are many women artists who lose their creativity and struggle to find their way back to their artistic career after some kind of change in their lives?

“Yes, definitely. Unfortunately, our culture doesn’t reward creative work, – which is a non-linear process. It is easy to get lost in all the daily responsibilities, beliefs, stress, and activity-filled moments. Art and creativity flourish where there is space to not “think and do” as we define it. In order to have this flow state, the inner and outer environment must be nourished and supported.

I believe it is not only a gender issue though; anyone can get caught up in the demands of modern culture, losing sight of their artistic mission. 

On the other hand, it is a great time now for creatives to flourish, to grow, and find their own ways of expression. There are incredible tools and opportunities available in our world – through technology, social media, etc. – to bring an authentic voice to the forefront.”

You found love in Germany during an event promoting Monaco. Can you tell us more about this?

“Well, it was one of those moments in life that you would never think something special would happen, yet one that will remain memorable forever. 

I was asked to jump in and speak at the last moment at a business club in Berlin. I was not much prepared as I presented an interesting story from my past, when I managed to have one of my artworks, dedicated to Princess Charlene, presented and taken up to the Palace in Monaco. It was a reflection about going for what our vision is and making things happen against all odds.

After the presentation, I was introduced to the person who is my life and Soul partner. You never know how life orchestrates events, meetings and occasions. Life has its own magical ways, especially when we allow it.”

Is it important for an artist to find a supporting partner?

“It is one of the most important things for creatives to surround themselves with people who accept them fully, just as they are. Relationships are like a garden where the soil needs to be watered, looked after and well-kept for flowers, plants and trees to grow. We are in one garden, and yet we’re different and authentic.

My VIPs are my partner, daughter, and circle of very close friends. Having such people around me, I feel as an artist, safe, seen, understood, and know that I can be whoever I want to be and loved no matter what.”

What is the biggest takeaway from your book “Creating again”?

“I would answer this with a quote from someone who has read my book and who’s not an artist: 

“I deeply appreciated Dodo Newman’s book Creating again, which really moved me and made me think and reflect about my own life experiences. Even as a non-artistic person in the traditional term, I could relate so much to her pains, struggles and learnings and actually found that I am also a creator, an artist on my own terms. 

It was so empowering, motivating and inspiring to read how Dodo took back ownership of her own life and created from scratch – one step at a time – her dream life. I highly recommend this book to everyone.Wherever you are on your life path, there is so much to learn from and be inspired by Dodo’s book, Creating again”.”

Do you think it is important for a country to promote art?

“Artists are the forerunners of free expression, new ideas, and motivation – in one word: transformation. Wherever there is some type of suppression of this artistic freedom, ignorance and ego-driven behaviours prevail, bringing society to lower levels of consciousness.

I believe that creative thinking and imagination start first and foremost within the individual. Creativity should be more appreciated and promoted in schools at an early age because children are the future of humanity in our world. 

A child who is taught to use his or her imagination and creative abilities at home and in schools has a much more open and flexible mind and attitude towards solving things later in life, finding solutions and building rather than destroying.

Promoting art is much more than pure funding of cultural institutions and other organisations. It is the collective attitude of valuing the importance of art and creativity, and its key players.”

Looking back to your years in Monaco, how would you summarise it, what did you learn or what has inspired you most as an artist?

“Monaco is a beautiful place with lots of wealth in every sense. I, however, realised soon that my artistic Being is inspired mostly by contrasts and dynamics. 

In Monaco, I felt that things were mainly about aesthetics, display, and perfectionism. I missed the depth and intensity of life, which is the base of my art.

Nevertheless, what I truly found amazing in Monaco is the international mix of people in such a small place. 

Also, what I truly liked and gave me lots of warmth were the small, hidden places without tourists, where the sea was bluer, the sun was stronger, the wind was cooler, and where you could meet the people who actually lived there for many generations. 

These were the places and people that gave me an insight as to what Monaco stood for in the past, and why it is still such a powerful place despite its tiny appearance.“

Could you imagine yourself returning to live in Monaco?

“I keep visiting Monaco, especially because my best friend lives there and I have fond memories of it and its surroundings. Rather than living there, it will always stay as a place to return to for short, because of these emotional ties.”

For the upcoming years, what is your dream vision of creation, the one for which you have a burning desire to realise?

“The vision I have for my next creations is to include my art in bigger architectural projects, such as for example lounges, hotels, resorts, residencies. Also, I want to combine my art with products that include aesthetics and mindfulness at the same time.

On a bigger – more broader – level, I feel the desire to express myself more from my depth using a combination of new artistic elements, combining the traditional and new technologies, like VR. 

My mission through my art is to transcend borders and connect people through a reflective visual language that captures the essence of life force, inviting viewers to explore the interconnected wonder of existence and our world.”