Fostering Growth and Connection Via Creative Expression

The age we are living in is one of rebirth, renewal, and reworking. Everywhere, people are waking up in varying experiences of “enlightenment.” It could be a brush with lucid dreaming, daily intuitive nudges, visions of Krishna, loas, Allah, Hecate. Countless other symbols like animal totems, auspicious signs that show up in media, or channeled messages from spirit guides and angelic beings.

(What signs are you receiving from the universe? What are the messages you are being given for your path? What physical symptoms have you had lately? Why do you think you are here, reading this article?)

Whatever you are experiencing personally, I am almost certain that you are feeling a magnetic pull to develop yourself further.

That is where my calling and one of my bigger missions in life resides.

To start from the beginning, I have always had a wildly active imagination. I have enjoyed every bit of it—even when it terrifies me. I grew up painfully shy, so my entertainment largely depended upon whatever I could create with my mind. As a child, I lived for activities like writing stories and illustrating them, cutting out construction paper to build dollhouses. I especially cherish the blanket forts that my brothers or cousins and I masterfully crafted. Bringing my creations and imaginings into physicality became my therapy.

Making art lends me a certain empowerment. As my home and school lives were rather chaotic, the one constant I had was my ability to control my art. To be clear, it was never just a means of gaining some sense of self-exertion over life; it is an activity that brings such joy and hope to my heart. The ability to see my finished piece right in front of me is pure wizardry.

“I did this.” All with a wave of a magic wand... or hand.

I filled my world with all the magic I pulled from my mind.

High school was a tough time and what got me through it was mixed media. My focus shifted to pushing myself to see what I could create. I made collages with magazines, stickers, business cards, photographs... anything you could think up. My best friend was often beside me, making works of her own. It truly allowed for bonding and emotional intimacy as we explained our pieces and processes and shared of ourselves whilst creating.

During high school, I suffered from various mental health issues including anxiety, depression, a worsening case of OCD, self-harm and skin picking disorder. In the last year before graduating, the disorders and mental health struggles only intensified due to anxieties about life in college, tumultuous relationships with friends, family drama, and highly dysfunctional romance failures. The emotional turmoil had funneled into the lower, more dense vibrations of my existence and become physical ailments such as acid reflux disease, panic attacks, weight loss from depression, one loss of consciousness due to extreme appetite loss, and frequent nausea.

My crafting, creating and photography saved my life at that point. (Along with my dad and music, of course.) As I began my trip down the rabbit hole of self-help books, spirituality, and all things new age, it dawned on me that creating art was a microcosm of existence.

The same way I could bring a painting into being with my hands, I could also bring desired situations into my life with my mind.

The possibilities were endless. I would experiment with small things, like the advice of Youtube Guru Joseph Alai recommends. I would write down what I wanted, in the tense of already having it. "I have a brand new car." "I got the job that makes me happy!" This became my adopted philosophy and I used it to assist myself and others in their own enlightenment from then on. This new principle, along with the ability for self-discovery that art lends, inspired me to reach new heights in my own crafts as well as how I could help the rest of humanity. As I experimented with manifestation, I also dabbled with the art I produced, seeking a wider spectrum of creative skills.

As I started to delve into photographic arts, snapping portraits of my friends, family, and eventually my community, I harnessed my creative vision to directly affect change in the lives of others. I saw an innate beauty to each person in each photo I took of them. It makes you feel so content to hear that they see themselves in a new light afterward! Catching these people in their element allowed them a new perspective on themselves and life in general.

Over the years through addiction, continual struggles with mental health, and big life changes such as several shifts in residence and failed relationships, creating has been an integral part of working through the traumas I have endured. It helped me find a new level of calm and self-efficacy amongst the sexual assault, multiple stalkers (one who lasted almost a decade) slander, strife and loss of dear friendships.

When I am mixing colors and slathering them over a canvas, I am free. When I write, I feel focused. As I assemble jewelry, I infuse each piece with spiritual warmth, high vibrational energy, and love. In the process, I am cleansed and uplifted. I gain a lot of personal gratification from producing paintings, jewelry, found-object art, and more. But the real passion at the root of it all is helping others find the same independence of thought and emotion through this beautiful vehicle of creation.

I often encourage (never pressure) others to create alongside me. I will sit with them and let them dabble at their own pace while offering guidance, prompts, instruction, and honest feedback. Many people I have met have thanked me for introducing them to the act of making art. They felt more in touch with themselves and their minds were clearer, as the focused state you enter during your crafting is meditative. I can think of nothing more rewarding than helping others ascend and grow as human beings through activities I enjoy so much. Even performing for crowds, creating live paintings has lifted the energy of a whole room. I am at my absolute best and most joyful when I am positively affecting others through this avenue.

While I am actively pursuing multiple ways to finance my dreams of helping others grow via art, I could use a huge helping hand. It would make all the difference for me. I would be able to pursue proper marketing training and ad services to promote my social media pages where I offer my services and showcase my artistic products. My aim is to be able to help others find and further develop themselves through art and its inherent therapeutic value. With proper financing, I could continue my education to obtain in-depth training and certification in art therapy. I could have a degree in this undervalued realm. It would mean the absolute world to me.

I would be able to obtain further training in business and entrepreneurship. This will allow me to properly formulate and manage a business where I can not only sell my creations but attain my most precious objective of facilitating growth through the power of painting, scrapbooking, collage-making, drawing, jewelry construction, alcohol inks, resin crafting and so much more. I wish to gift the world with the tools not only to express themselves visually, but to go through the journey of self-realization and inner reflection, leading them to work through traumas and limiting self-beliefs.

I ultimately burn to open a center for art therapy to operate under these guidelines. I will teach all ages and backgrounds, trauma or not. I will offer specialized classes and sessions for the more sensitive emotional needs of my audience.

There is no greater power than self-sufficiency. It is the vehicle of advancement. Art therapy amply provides this gem: physically, mentally and especially spiritually. I am impassioned to bring this to as many people as I can. I will find a a way. I am actively creating a way.

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Thanks for reading, and if you enjoy my creations or this article, consider giving me a like, share, or even a tip! (They are ALWAYS appreciated!)