the artist side of me…
I’m so glad to meet you! I hope you enjoy your visit – my living room is the best place to sit and have a cup of coffee and a chat…
I am a woman, wife, mother, and grandmother(!). As a counselor and trauma-informed therapeutic art facilitator, too, I work with people, especially Christian women, who have lived through traumatic events. I have always loved art, and through using expressive therapeutic art activities with some of my trauma survivor clients, I reconnected with the value of art in the counseling arena and more so, I reconnected with the importance of art to the total well-being of each of our souls.
You might also like to know that I absolutely LOVE to make a work of beauty, a piece of art that speaks a unified message through of the many smaller stories (pieces) that make up the whole. Every media I work in has that same quality…mixed media, collage, assemblage, quilting, stained glass, mosaic work, hand work. That is what I do with my clients as well – I help them find the story of who they are through piecing together the fragments of their life, exchanging beauty for ashes.
I am constantly revising my approach to my online presence…and in the revisions, or perhaps more specifically transformations, you can trace the emerging of my online voice, follow somewhat the journey I am on…I know the destination – the path promises to be meandering (yet scenic)…would you like to come along with me?
(the rest of this journal entry has to do with my thoughts on creativity and -yes – struggles in finding my creative voice…new revelations, new healings…the meandering scenic path (!). Read on to learn more if you have time to stay a little longer, or stop here and we will get together another day…it is totally your choice!)
An expression of worship, a piece that reveals a deep eternal truth, or a piece that simply leads the viewer into a deeper discovery of their own spirituality or the relationship God wishes to have with them – these are what you might discover in my original works.
The worship and deeper truths often are a result of the Spirit’s continuing work in the heart of the artist, and the pieces reflect this! Healing hearts and helping others is a “both/and” experience, not a “first then second” as our logical minds may want to dictate! My deeper healing has occurred in the same areas as my “first layers”…walking away from perfectionism, learning the freedom to be and accept my weak and so-called ugly parts, finding being as my identity instead of my doing. At one point, I even found I had slipped into a mindset of making my art my identity, instead of who I am to God…
For me, creativity is energizing! I believe it is a gift from our Creator; a part of sharing in His Image. In expressing ourselves creatively, we are inspired and inspire others! While creative endeavors are valuable simply because they are an expression of the artist, I think it is important to leave an eternal footprint with whatever creative medium I am working in!
My favorite pieces by other artists have similar qualities, like this piece below, done by Jennifer at Studio JRU (that I won through {in}-courage.)
