I believe in the use of our innate creativity for wellness and healing. My artwork is informed by my work as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Board-Certified Art Therapist. Art-making has always been an important part of my own self-care, and I strive to inspire hope in those who choose to view my work.
My artist’s journey began in undergrad when the artist and author, Sabrina Ward Harrison, came to speak and lead a workshop at my college. I bought her book, “Spilling Open,” and was completely captivated. I started my first visual journal; I kept painting; and over the next year, I discovered that I could express things with paint, collage, poetry, and images that I could not express verbally.
When I was young, my mother gave me the poem, “Comes the Dawn,” and this line has remained with me ever since: “…So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to buy you flowers.” I paint intuitively, often incorporating bright colors with layers of acrylic paint, text, and collaged patterns and images, to express themes of encouragement and healing.
Now, I’m planting my own garden and decorating my own soul on canvas. I paint the “blooms” my shade garden won’t produce, and add the phrases I need to hear.
Art helped me find my path. I paint so that others who are feeling bored, disconnected, unfulfilled, worthless, and hopeless can find their way back to their own paths of wellness.