Mr. Bolderline, Nohô Host in Île-de-France: Free and Instinctive Creativity as a Way of Life

Some artists plan, sketch, and prepare. And then there’s Igor, aka Mr. Bolderline. He takes a canvas, lets go, and lets it flow. Acrylic paint, markers, spray paint, a palette knife, bare hands: no matter the tool, what matters is the emotion of the moment. From Champlan, in Île-de-France, this self-taught artist offers an immersive look into his studio and his perspective on creativity on Nohô—not as a talent reserved for a select few, but as a capacity that everyone carries within themselves.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Mr. Bolderline; I’m an artist and visual creator. My passion finds expression through painting, photography, and graphic design. To be honest, it all started with my love of magazines. I began by making collages and creating posters. And things evolved a few years ago when I decided to return to that because I had completely lost my creative spark. I started creating magazines again for people—professionals and entrepreneurs—by taking their stories and bringing them to life in a magazine using their own words. And little by little, I returned to painting, writing, and drawing.

What has your journey been like?

I used to be a field sales rep. But when I was younger, up until I was 18, I did graphic design—I drew a lot and wrote a lot. My first passion was really a love of magazines: I collected them and created collage posters. Then I stopped, and picked it up again 20 years later. I’m self-taught; I have no formal training in art or painting. I learned on the job, by meeting people, and by creating simply to express myself.

You talk about free and instinctive creativity. What does that mean to you?

What interests me isn’t the plan or knowing what I’m going to create. It’s just taking a medium and expressing what I want to express. It often starts with color, because I really love color—I love its raw, spontaneous quality. And often I use broad strokes to draw facial expressions, but in my own way. What I realized while leading workshops for people is that I have a knack for helping people let go and express themselves. The biggest obstacle I’ve seen in others is telling themselves, “I’m not the type to create—I’m not an artist.” But that’s not true—you just have to let go and go for it.

Are you still organizing workshops?

Until last summer, I was organizing them, I ran workshops for groups of up to 15 people, including high school students and entrepreneurs. Since then, I’ve put the workshops on hold to focus on one-on-one coaching.

What do you offer on Nohô?

Small-group sessions that allow people to express themselves through creativity and realize that creativity isn’t just about creating or drawing. It’s also about finding solutions. Once you learn to see things differently and create something from what already exists, you can apply that to any field. I’m going to do this through art, so that people leave thinking: “Actually, you can do this in your own life, too.” It starts with a conversation, not with “you’re going to come and paint a piece for an hour.” We talk and share ideas in a creative space, and we leave with something that will remind us of the discussion we had.

When Letting Go Becomes a Work of Art

At Nohô, certain encounters change the way we see ourselves. Mr. Bolderline’s is one of them. You don’t need to be an artist, and you don’t need to know how to draw. All you have to do is let go of control and let things unfold. After an hour in his studio in the Île-de-France region, you’ll leave with more than just a memory: a new way of approaching something you thought you couldn’t do.