Caregiving often appears ordinary from the outside, but beneath the surface lies an emotional landscape of love, exhaustion, grief, and resilience. In Things Otherwise Unseen, I reflect on how Grief and Art can reveal the hidden experiences that shape us and make visible what might otherwise remain unseen.
Some artworks begin with paint. Others begin with memory. This assemblage—built from vintage blocks, a ceramic duck, a paintbrush, and playful scissors—reflects on childhood, creativity, and the journey of objects as they move from everyday life into meaningful art.
I see hope in my life story. I can see the hope because I have kept an account of it: on papers with a pencil, upon canvases with a paintbrush, using torn papers, pastels, glitter and ink. “Dancing in the Doghouse” is my story of hope shared so others might see the hope, too.
This Painting is Titled “Portals to Peaceful, Quiet Spaces,” 2022
My paintings are my portals to peaceful, quiet spaces when I can’t even leave my home. I paint the water spigot and the door from under water in this endemic world. I once again recoil to my studio and manage my anxieties in this new liminal in-between.
I met Jesus on the beach in a vision. It happened 8 years ago, but it was so intense that it still feels real and alive. I painted this vision because it has changed me. It’s the new place from which I glean my faith.
This blog is all about “no promises” and how we find hope despite this reality. Explore how you can center yourself on your journey through the power of creative expression. Creative voice brings the promise of hope despite what lies ahead.
Creative process is my greatest tool for processing everything that life throws my way. I share it with others because it might throw them a lifeline, too. This blog is a place to consider the power of artistic expression. If you are an art maker, I urge you to dive deeper into your process. If you are hesitant and holding back from creating, let this be an encouragement to begin making art or returning to a past form of art making. One friend of mine finds peace in coloring books. It’s her way of finding meaning, and spiritual connection. It’s not complicated. It need not be complicated for you, either. What can be your unique creative process? How can it help you find joy, understanding, and respite? This blog is encouragement to explore the answers to these questions.
This blog is an invitation to revamp your art making space. It’s an encouragement to create a welcoming place to stop and create on your journey. It’s a challenge to consider your own solutions. What will work best for you? This is a challenge to rework your space. Make it someplace where you can make more art more often on your journey!
I hear music, look at a photograph, study a painting, or enjoy a performance, and I am moved and changed. The experience is spiritual and intense. Suddenly, everything is transformed. I see that there is the clean water that we drink, and it restores. I also see creative expression that quenches the thirst of our souls. Both refresh us. This blog explores creativity’s power to revitalize and reinvigorate us. I also encourages the “creatives” who release this power to the world.
How will you get through? What do you have on your journey that you can rely on? Consider the power of creative process to ground you and give you a way through these challenging times. How can art making help you make sense of things as you take the next step into tomorrow? How can creative process lead you on your journey and bring you hope despite uncertain times? I challenge you to find an answer to these questions and then share what you discover with others. Creative process is a gift that can be shared and encouraged. Find yourself an expressive voice and then help others find theirs. Let your art speak. This blog will help you get started on finding your own form of creative expression and helping others discover theirs.
How do we find happiness? The proper frame of mind is often touted as the key. This can leave people feeling like a moral failure. The bills cannot get paid, the heat is turned off, or a loved one has just passed on. The idea of happiness can seem ludicrous to those in hard places on their journey. How do you find joy despite life’s challenges and struggles? Here are some thoughts for those of us who are trying to find peace amidst the storms.
How do you use creativity to better understand your journey? Art has the power to reveal so much about who you are, where you have been, and what might be next for you. What can you create that can open your eyes and let you see a little bit more about God’s plans and purposes for you? How can you use that insight to better tell you spiritual story? This blog just might give you inspiration to explore this question.
I see that every stroke I’ve made and every word I’ve written has been an attempt to sort things out for myself- to find my meaning. I see that my creative process has always been central for me. I understand that my spirituality has always mattered even though how I express it has changed form. The biggest theme, however, is hope. I’ve never given up on it even when my words and works were darkest. I have always been convinced that hope is here.
What’s so wrong about going back in time and visiting a place that you’re happy to be in? If my paintings let me do that, I’ve just taken a little journey and I’ll be back to the present soon enough! How does your creative practice help you on your journey? Does it let you go places you couldn’t otherwise go? Consider that in spite of the fact that we don’t even know each other, we will be traveling together on this journey. We do this through the simple act of choosing to go where our canvas takes us. Onward!
I write to keep things. These blogs provide a way that I can look back and make sense of things. When I am done writing, I have a sense of peace and optimism about moving forward. Today, I ponder my Peacock Collage. Peacock feathers pop up in my work fairly often. They remind me of my mom and my sister from my eyes as a child. This is my way to reflect and then to move forward with new understanding.
With peacock feathers, glitter, yarn, tissue and torn papers, I am a child again: creating using whatever I can find before me. This is a place where I can find peace. For me, I’d go as far as saying it’s prayer.
I like to go back. I like to remember. When I come back to today, I share what I remember. But, the best part is when people join in and make “remembering” a conversation. What do you remember? How can you connect your memories to your journey today?