The runner’s high and the artist’s flow find common ground in Jean de Dieu as she paints 100 smiles and runs 100 miles
- Elsa Jean de Dieu does not need to think about what colours to use, or what brush strokes to cast when she is in the zone, much like when she is running
- Running competitively is as much about learning from the struggle as it is about chasing the podium
On the face of it, running and painting seem to have little in common. But for Hong Kong-based Elsa Jean de Dieu, they go hand in hand. The famous runner’s high is akin to her job as a mural artist.
“When I have something in mind, I say I want to do this loop, I don’t care about the time or the kilometres, I just go and do it,” she said. “At some point, you just let go of everything – the pain and the heat, and the kilometres, whatever. I like this feeling and I have the same feeling when I’m working.”
Despite being an artist for her entire life, it was not until Jean de Dieu started running that she experienced the flow.
“Is it OK if I do this and that? Is it OK if I use this colour? But I kind of stop thinking and do what I have to do without thinking. It’s exactly what I feel when I’m running,” she said on The Adventure Trail podcast with hosts Mary Hui and Mark Agnew, available on iTunes and Spotify.
Listen: The Adventure Trail podcast with Elsa Jean de Dieu
Now Jean de Dieu hopes to combine her two passions in one massive project. She will paint 100 faces across 100 miles of Hong Kong, each showing someone she knows smiling or laughing, and will run the painted route.
