Leah Guzman is an art therapist and author who supports creatives with healing and manifesting their desires utilizing art media through art therapy services and coaching. She joined the course in early 2021 and in late 2021 self-published and launched her Art of Healing and Manifesting oracle deck, a 49-card deck created as a companion to her book, to give daily inspiration and clarity on your life’s journey.
Website | Instagram | Order The Art of Healing and Manifesting Deck
Can you share a little about the inspiration behind the deck and why you wanted to create it?
The inspiration for the deck came from a book I was writing called, The Art of Healing and Manifesting: Creative Exercises to Living in Abundance. The concept of the book infuses art therapy exercises, the law of attraction techniques and chakra knowledge. Each chapter coordinates with a chakra. As I was adding artwork to the book I had the idea of creating an oracle deck as a partner to use for daily guidance to connect to the divine. I used the layout of my book to coordinate with the deck. It’s 49 cards, 7 cards for each of the chakras. I love that when. you look at the cards together they create a rainbow. On one side has a message and the other side has my paintings.
In what stage of the process were you before joining the course?
I had started the course with just the idea that I wanted to create the deck. I knew I needed guidance and I loved Jo’s decks
What decisions did the course help you with?
The course helped me get clear on my layout. I had to choose my direction in order to move forward. Once I knew how I was going to lay them out, then I focused on my messaging and my art to match. I also decided to not use a guidebook. I have the messages on one side and art on the other.
What was the most valuable takeaway for you?
The most valuable takeaway was setting everything up. I loved Jo’s tips on doing a Kickstarter and finding a printer. I actually did a Kickstarter as well to fund the project and it was successful.
Is there anything that surprised you about the process so far?
Yes, I originally started with handmade sketches and then midway through the process I switched out all my designs to a collection of my paintings. The whole process took about a year to come to fruition.
Would you like to share any details about the launch of your deck?
I ordered my first round through a local printer and my first launch through Kickstarter. Now, I’m currently ordering my second round of decks, this time a bigger order from China. Moving forward, I want to focus my energy on this deck and put it in different marketplaces.