(This conversation was recorded back in June.)

“Using your voice in such a specific way…sometimes makes people uncomfortable.”

SUMMARY

Lissa M. Cowan speaks with Stephanie Hill, a nature-inspired narrative and pop surrealist artist based in the Gatineau Hills, Quebec. Drawing on everything from comic books to Victorian botanical illustrations, Stephanie's work weaves together Celtic wisdom, the divine feminine, and the threads of her own personal and family stories. Discover how her connection to water, mythology, and symbolism shapes her creative process and the deeper meanings behind her art. And to top it off, Stephanie is something of a dream whisperer—she closes the conversation with practical tips for beginning to interpret your own dreams.

WHERE TO FIND STEPHANIE

Instagram.com/stephaniehillartgarden

Facebook.com/stephaniehillartgarden

ARTWORK BY STEPHANIE HILL MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE

Fledgling, Ink, watercolour, gouache on cotton rag paper, 15" x 20”, 2025.

My Museum, ink, gouache and watercolour on paper, 15"x 20", 2023.

Purple Stemmed Angelica

Winter Birds, ink on paper, 9" x 12", 2023.

Floating Loon, ink on paper, 9"x12"

Cicada Choir, from 2017. Oil tempera on linen.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and by Lewis Carroll,

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupèry

BOTANICAL/NATURE-BASED SOURCES & READINGS ON ANIMA MUNDI

⁠plantillustrations.org — A comprehensive resource for high-resolution plant illustrations, scientific and vernacular names, and search options by taxonomy or distribution.

iNaturalist — A social network for naturalists.

Merlin Bird ID — Identify the birds you see or hear.

“Anima Mundi: Awakening the Soul of the World,” The Golden Sufi Center, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, September 2005.

CARL JUNG & DREAM INTERPRETATION

Dreams by C.G. Jung, translated by R.F.C. Hull. Princeton University Press, 1974.

Man and His Symbols by C.G. Jung. Doubleday, 1964.

Memories, Dreams, Reflections by C.G. Jung, recorded and edited by Aniela Jaffé. Pantheon Books, 1962.

"A Jungian Approach to Understanding Your Dreams," Psychology Today, Doris E. Cohen, September 2024.

DIVINE FEMININE

"The Rise of the Divine Feminine," Awaken, Courtney Long, February 23, 2026.

FASHION

Frock Flicks — A trio of costumers from the SF Bay Area who have OPINIONS about historical costume movies & TV shows.

Arden Conroy — Historical👗and the women who wore them.

The Art of Dress — ❤️Art, Heart, and History of Dress.

SHOW NOTES

00:00 Introduction to Stephanie Hill

03:57 Childhood Memories and Nature’s Influence

06:48 Symbolism and Water in Art

10:10 The Power of Myth and Symbolism

13:01 Personal Connections in Art

15:58 Researching Flora and Fauna for Art

18:49 Exploring Historical Contexts in Art

21:59 The Role of Literature in Artistic Inspiration

24:50 Art as a Form of Defiance

28:03 Dream Interpretation and Personal Insights

OVERCOMING ARTISTIC BLOCK

QUOTES FROM STEPHANIE

“It stripped me bare in every possible way.”

“It’s a ritual of appreciation for the plant.”

“Water is emotion and the feminine part.”

“Dreams use symbolism to communicate.”

“Everything in a dream is about you.”

UPCOMING OFFERINGS

The Museum of Lost Things A Drawing and Painting Course | Ottawa & Gatineau, March 2026

Art has the power to reveal truths about the things we carry, what we leave behind, and what defines us.

This course invites you to explore that power through the tradition of Vanitas—a genre of 17th-century Dutch still-life painting that used everyday objects to reflect on life. Drawing on that history, we’ll build our own personal museums: arrangements of objects, artifacts, sacred animals, botanicals, and abandoned keepsakes that tell a deeper story of who we are.

Through themes like childhood, ancestry, healing, wabi-sabi—or whatever resonates with you—you’ll develop your skills in drawing, composition, and painting while exploring the creative decisions that give art meaning. The more personal your theme, the richer the work!

This in-person course is open to all levels. Contact stephaniefhill@gmail.com to learn more or to register.

Instagram Substack.com BlueSky lissamcowan.com

Theme music credit: This is the Dark Bean, The Dark Bean, Free Music Archive, Creative Commons License.

We don't know what a new world could look like yet, so we're sort of in that in-between space.

SUMMARY

Lissa M. Cowan speaks with Hoann Chan Ignacio about her journey into horticulture, the importance of ecological gardening, and the cultural implications of gardening language. Hoann shares her personal connections to gardening and offers practical advice for new gardeners, emphasizing the significance of planting to support life and the environment.

WHERE TO FIND HOANN

Instagram.com/playingwithseeds

RELEVANT RESOURCES

BOOKS

Medicine Wheel for the Planet by Dr. Jennifer Grenz; a personal and ecological exploration that blends Western science with Indigenous ecological knowledge to transform how we understand humanity’s role in healing the planet. 

FILMS

⁠The Seeds of Vandana Shiva⁠

⁠Yintah⁠⁠ 

ECOLOGICAL AND INDIGENOUS LAND STEWARDSHIP RESOURCES

⁠Blooming Boulevards  ⁠⁠

⁠⁠Pollinator Partnership ⁠ 

⁠North American Native Plant Society ⁠

⁠Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library ⁠

⁠"Architects of Abundance: Indigenous Regenerative Land Management and the Excavation of Hidden History" by Dr. Lyla June at the North Carolina Botanical Garden⁠

CAUSES

⁠Thamra⁠ — Thamra, which means “fruit” in Arabic. Thamra supports Palestinians who lack the resources necessary to grow fresh, nourishing food.

⁠⁠Sulula Animal Rescue —  Sulala Society is the first and only animal rescue in the Gaza Strip.

⁠Apnature.org ⁠— The “Revive Gaza’s Farmland” project aims to rehabilitate Gaza’s agricultural sector and restore local food systems to combat famine, counter the blockade and build food sovereignty. 

SHOW NOTES

00:00 Introduction with Hoan Chan Ignacio

04:12 The Journey into Horticulture

07:01 Understanding Ecological Gardening

10:02 Connecting with Nature and Childhood Memories

12:58 Awakening to the Environment

16:01 Language and Colonial Structures in Horticulture

25:14 Evolving Perspectives on Horticulture and Language

31:09 Indigenous Knowledge and Ecological Practices

35:00 Horticulture as a Tool for Resilience

37:20 Navigating the Liminal Space of Change

39:00 Getting Started with Ecological Gardening

WHAT IS ECOLOGICAL GARDENING?

QUOTES FROM HOANN

“The seeds that are being sewn are these new ideas of a new way of being to support life.”

“Ecological gardening is a seed. Where can this go if more people are planting for pollinators and wild life habitats in corridors…”

Instagram Substack.com BlueSky lissamcowan.com

Theme music credit: This is the Dark Bean, The Dark Bean, Free Music Archive, Creative Commons License.