A Reminder of Why

It never fails to make me laugh at how intertwined the extraordinary and mundane are.

I was doing the mundane task of sorting through and organizing a long-neglected pile of paperwork when I ran across something that stopped me.

Something extraordinary

It was a survey response about an in-person art journaling workshop I’d taught to a group of members of the military community. It was penned by a workshop participant in response to the question of what they liked about their experience.

“You can release the terror from nightmares.”

“You can release the terror from nightmares”

Tears rolled down my face as I stared at those words on the paper.

They were a needed reminder of why I believe in the lasting and powerful impact of art.

Even though there are already mounds of data confirming the fantastic and very real benefits of regularly engaging in a creative practice, I don’t need it to tell me something I already know.

I live in the benefits of creativity.

It helps me self-regulate my emotions, improve my mental and physical health, manage pain, and it offers me a way to connect with myself and others.

This is why I continue to share my creative journey and offer creativity in as many forms as possible. So others can see that they too can offer themselves creativity and its benefits.

Art and creativity are for everybody and every body.

Yes. Even you.