I take bottles, wood and whatever else I can find to create orignal and unique art and crafts. My story...well, that could be complicated depending on who you ask. Growing up I was told by teachers or other adults that I was not talented when it came to art: I couldn't draw, or paint or make pottery, etc. And as a child, you believe what teachers/adults tell you. They help shape your young mind. T
herefore, I was not confident in my artistic abilities. In my fourties, I experienced a major meltdown (mid-life crisis). I am always open about my battles with Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety. Part of outpatient treatment therapy is learning how to manage stress. One technique is through art therapy. During art therapy, I opened my mind, heart and spirit for the first time in my life to the concept of art and learning how to express feelings through art. I found that not only did I really enjoy it, I was actually pretty good at it too! I thought my creativity flowed through my fingers as I am a writer or journalist or PR professional by way of my college degree. But art was a brand new revelation to me. And I was hooked. So what started out as an ocassional hobby has turned into something I want share with others. Why am I telling you all of this? I want to use my art/creativity for something more than just to make people smile and appreciate. Lately, there have been too many stories in the news of people committing su***de, whether it be the teenager your son/daughter knows from school or famous musicians like Chester Bennington of Linkin Park (this hit me hard) and Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and Audioslave fame. If you have ever followed my posts on my personal page, you know that I am a huge advocate for mental illness awareness and su***de prevention. When will we as a society drop the stigma attached to mental illness and suicidal thoughts. Depression is an illness/disease, just like diabetes, high blood pressure and hyper-thyroidism. So why is there so much stigma attached to mental illness? I am here to help . A portion of the proceeds from the sale of my art and decor will go to the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention (www.afsp.org) and the National Su***de Lifeline (www.su***depreventionlifeline.org)
And to think this all started from some art therapy to help me through a rough patch in my life......
Thank you for reading and please check out some of my pieces listed here for sale. Several items are cross posted, but I can always make a custom ordered one just like it! Help me save a life!
