For nearly four decades, her life was measured in the frenetic pulse of Paris—a whirlwind of midnight events, the avant-garde orbit of David Bowie, and the high-stakes world of erotic art. It was a career defined by creation and conceptualization, lived “at a hundred miles an hour and backward,” where the workday began when the city slept and ended in the glitter of bars and galleries.
But the velocity of the cultural scene eventually took its toll. After years of exhaustion and a subsequent slide into depression while working as a freelance artist in Marseille, the trajectory of her life shifted not through a grand plan, but through a moment of absolute financial desperation. With only 46 euros left in her bank account at age 39, she bought a few cans of paint and repainted a little closet in gold and Provence green. That single act of manual creation sparked a memory of a forgotten ambition: to be a decorative painter for the cinema.
This pivot marked the beginning of an unconventional descent into the trades—a path that would lead her from the glamorous sets of film to the grit of construction sites, through the heights of regional activism, and eventually to a total physical and mental collapse. Today, settled in the quiet village of Barjols in the Var region, she is redefining her relationship with work, feminism, and her own neurological makeup.
From Cinema Dreams to the Grit of the Job Site
The transition was not seamless. Lacking a high school diploma (baccalauréat) and having been forced to abandon interior architecture studies years prior to care for her ailing mother, she identified as a complete autodidact. Her first instinct was to return to the arts, seeking immersion stages with contacts in the film industry. The response was a “cold shower”: the industry had little money and had largely replaced hand-painted sets with digital printing.
When advisors suggested the construction sector, her initial reaction was one of prejudice. She viewed the trade as “degrading,” a fallback for those who had failed in the traditional school system. However, curiosity eventually won out. She began taking on jobs with no pay, and later for 60 euros a day, teaching herself the technical nuances of the trade via YouTube tutorials.
The learning curve was steep. She recalls spending two full days painting a single 12-square-meter ceiling, obsessing over drying marks that she initially mistook for errors. Yet, the concrete nature of the work provided a stability that the cultural world lacked. The ability to say “yes, I can do it” and then figure out the solution through research and questioning became her professional trademark.
| Phase | Location | Primary Focus | Key Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cultural Era | Paris | Events, Music, Art | Professional burnout |
| Transition | Marseille | Intermittence/Art | Financial crisis/Depression |
| Trade Entry | PACA Region | Construction Painting | Self-taught mastery |
| Activism | PACA Region | Les Fabricoleuses | Visibility for women in trades |
| Eco-Pivot | Barjols | Eco-construction | Sustainable artisanry |
The Rise and Fall of ‘Les Fabricoleuses’
At 40, having established herself as an independent contractor, she noticed a glaring void in the industry: the invisibility of women. After a plumber remarked that he would love to train a woman but couldn’t find any, she felt a calling to change the collective unconscious of the French building trade.
On March 8, 2021, she launched Les Fabricoleuses, a collective designed to make women in construction visible and break entrenched stereotypes. The movement gained rapid momentum in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region, attracting 14 women and significant media attention, including features on M6 and portraits on the Canebière in Marseille.
However, the visibility was a double-edged sword. While the public enthusiasm exploded on Instagram and through press inquiries, the collective lacked a sustainable economic model or government subsidies. She found herself operating as a one-woman engine, managing the collective, her own painting contracts, and an inclusive company she founded in 2023 to help others integrate into the workforce.
The result was a mathematical impossibility: working 14 hours a day while earning roughly 600 euros a month. The cognitive and physical load eventually broke her. The collapse manifested first as acute pericarditis and culminated in a severe burnout and a psychiatric emergency.
A New Philosophy: The Chemistry of Sustainability
Recovery required a total evacuation of the city. She relocated to Barjols, seeking the silence of nature over the noise of Marseille. This period of stillness allowed her to liquidate her business and re-evaluate her goals, shifting her focus from growth and “the struggle” to transmission and environmental stewardship.
She has since relaunched her activity under the name K2-SiO3—the chemical formula for potassium silicate. This name signals a strict commitment to eco-renovation and eco-construction. Moving away from toxic acrylics and cement, which she describes as environmental and sanitary catastrophes, she now works exclusively with non-polluting materials, including lime, mineral paints, and natural pigments.
Her approach to feminism has also evolved. No longer seeking to lead a loud movement or fight the system from the outside, she now views her role as “the example.” She currently trains a 49-year-old woman in the painting trade, focusing on mentorship over activism.
A recent diagnosis of ADHD (TDAH) provided the final piece of the puzzle. For her, the diagnosis explained a lifetime of restlessness—the constant thirst for change, the leap between wildly different careers, and the intensity of her pursuits. What once felt like instability now feels like coherence.
Disclaimer: This article describes experiences with burnout and psychiatric emergencies. For those seeking mental health support in France, resources are available via SOS Amitié or the national suicide prevention number (3114).
Looking forward, her focus remains local and sustainable. Having aligned her professional life with her neurological needs and environmental values, she is currently working toward purchasing land in Barjols to design and build her own eco-home, applying the same mineral-based principles she now teaches her clients.
Do you believe the trades are the next frontier for professional reconversion? Share your thoughts in the comments or share this story with someone navigating a career change.
