PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can cause stress, anxiety, depression, grief, anger, disassociation, and spiritual crisis which can result in feeling lost and confused. Art making is the perfect medicine to help find, define and clarify internal chaos.
Color, symbol, pattern and image are tools to help see the turmoil within and shed light on the status of self. Even if the artwork is dark, ugly, and messy, the self is recognized in its present state and can be validated. This validation helps the self to see and accept the truth of the feelings derailing life. Then problem solving can begin in an honest way through exploration of art materials which provides a safe manner of expression and map of the internal state of self.
This painting was done after the passing of my parents and I was reevaluating life. Depicting places, people, aspects of self and things that gave me strength provided basic steps towards healing from the loss and provided perspective. This painting is near my desk and is often gazed upon in appreciation for where I have been and what gives me peace, all things beneficial to healing life’s struggles.
My book, Frida and Me, contains my artwork depicting the very broken and often undetectable self as a consequence from my bus wreck in Mexico. Each artwork became a thread to weave the quilt that became me through the healing process and a testimony of survival. For anyone struggling with PTSD and mental health issues, I encourage you to visit my website to learn more about healing trauma through art and learn about this amazing tool available to all on your healing journey.
Art Heals!

Just when all feels lost and no hope to go forward, look to the unending cycles of nature and find strength to keep on keeping on.
What can we learn about mental health from the natural world?

I am forever inspired by Cholla cactus. They thrive in the starkest environments, and even when they fall, they rise again and again. Cholla spines are awesomely beautiful as are their blooms of summer.
Its formidable spines provide an unbeatable enduring protection necessary to survive.

Our broken selves require this type of shield to safeguard our vulnerabilities. Without that, the brokenness becomes us and derails all actions we take. Do not mistake this protection for ‘letting others down’ by not being available or there for them. Without this defense system in place, one can become another’s doormat and channel for their agenda, not your own. This can lead one on an unintentional path not safe for an overwhelmed self.
Especially for those with PTSD, remaining centered in self is a challenge so take time to find your thorny boundaries and protect the paths that lead you on a journey towards a healthier and fitting life’s journey.
Keep on keeping on, if you fall, rise again…. maybe rest first, then rise again!!!
Nature heals!!

 Parrot art find it’s home!

My parrot made of palm husk was my art process for mental health posted May 31st I was finally able to give it to my friend and her parrot.

Presently, the parrot is talking to the art and unsure what it is 😆!
I’ll let you know if they make friends!!! 🦜

This art making process had many valuable results for my mental health:
1) It’s making process provided the opportunity for items found on my morning walks (good for health)to become an enjoyable creative project.

2) The creative outlet reduced stress and emotional angst.

3)The process slowed me down and helped to remain centered in the present.

4) The problem solving of fitting materials and concept together sparked invention and confidence.

5) Self esteem increased from liking the results of my efforts.

6) Giving the art to someone built a sense of belonging and satisfaction

7) My joy factor is nurtured as I see my eco art become part of this parrots world. It’s almost as if my morning walks in nature were brought inside to give this parrot a ‘wildlife’ companion!

8) the act of giving my creative work to my friend made her smile and happy.

As you see, the benefits are many, and I assure you, there are many more. So if the struggle is real, take some time and effort to create, art heals!
And, nature heals!!!

                                                                    June is PTSD Awareness Month
                                                              Try art as a management tool for PTSD.
PTSD triggers can unravel emotions and the path of a functioning life. These triggers can alter perceptions of time and throw the individual into a spiral of historical trauma response. This can lead to disassociation, fear, flight, shutting down, anxiety, depression and destructive behaviors. Learning how to manage these triggered moments is essential for a successful and functional life.
Art is an option for helping PTSD and an incredible tool that, not only can repair brokenness but provide enjoyment from the process and outcome. Art touches the senses and expression buried under trauma response to identify and convey the experience of struggle deep within. Through color, texture, symbol and image, one can witness the authentic self without needing words to make meaning. This freedom to express provides validation of what is ‘really going on’ in order to see the truth and support the internal strife that triggers cause.

Art is a map to hear, see and invent a path forward to find ground when PTSD triggers cause a free fall of emotions that can sabotage a sense of safety.

Just try! Many online groups, podcasts, and books are available to consider this path of healing, check them out and again, just try, you will be amazed at the benefits of the art process to heal PTSD.

 
Finished! Eco Art for mental health processing.

CHICA/ mixed media
palm husk, dried date palm flower, paper, seed pod, glass, beads, shell, cholla, leather,wire.

Inspired by my friends Amazon parrot, Chica came together slowly but surely. Most objects were found on my morning walks and garage sales.
The head was formed with newspaper and masking tape using a big seed pod for the beak, then painted with gesso and lined with torn paper.
The palm husk became the body and wing with the date palm frond becoming the tail.
Feet are leather covered wire attached to Cholla.

Decorating started with paper feathers down the torso but then I got stuck. I couldn’t figure where to go from there so took a break for a bit. Finally the paper and beads on the wings came next, then I got stuck AGAIN!
I had broken glass left from my turtle project so hesitantly tried attaching it and was pleased with the effect and went for it!
I love the way the feet and perch came together and the festive tail!

What did I learn from this art process?
Managing frustration, patience, mistake resolution, the wonderful world of materials just waiting outside to be found, reusing/recycling, invention.

As reflected in our lives, frustration and patience were challenging, but the process always brought peace and harmony within.

Try creating something the next time you are filled with anxiety or frustration…you will be surprised how well it works to reduce them.
Art heals!!!
Art on ya’ll

 
June is PTSD awareness month, share art healing with all those struggling!

When bad things happen, our body initially records these impressions in the senses. Once we try to make meaning of the event, it already has become a secondary layer of the experience. Mental health actually starts with the senses, not the mind.

Pain is generally avoided and covered up in self sabotaging behaviors such as addiction, violence and destructive behaviors. This not only doesn’t heal anything but causes more pain.
So, where does one start?
One starts at the beginning, the senses.

Art is a powerful tool to hear and express the depths of pain, confusion & whatever else lost in the mire of PTSD.
Texture, color ,symbol and image can express emotions safely and accurately. Often, words are just not able to ’paint the picture’ within leading to a feeling of being an outcast and misunderstood.

Our angst needs to be seen and recognized. The art process provides this experience providing a map of what’s going on within, thus allowing clarity and expression of our deepest truths. Once we feel validation from witnessing what’s really going on, one can make forward progress towards true healing.

The art process also allows us to make the pain beautiful and create a way to carry it differently, less destructive and still honor that which has made us who we have become from our traumatic experience.

Remember…
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AN ARTIST TO HEAL!!!!

   Morning walk brought to you by a very tangled barbed wire fence!

Tangled up in Blue,
Beauty or a beast?
Attempts to protect what is on the other side,
Safety from within or without?
Holding together with any means necessary,
Reflecting chaos that binds
discomfort & fear, to beauty & wellbeing.
Holding it all together with woven barbs
Lovely to look at, but impossible to grasp.

I love old barbed wire fences with their character and intention. Somehow they reflect feelings of beautiful brokenness and pain within. These fences mirror one’s internal struggle to protect vulnerable feelings through barbs that deflect approaching threats. Spiney Cholla and barbed wire are perfect companions with similar methods to defend and guard from intruders.
What can we learn from this?
Our internal barbs push away trespassers of our comfort zone within. We meet very ‘prickly’ people and have a bad impression of this type of response, but in actuality, they are in protection mode and require grace and understanding. Pain and hurt lie at the core of their discomfort and this is the mechanism to stay safe. I do that, you do that, cactus, bees and barb wire do this.
The lesson is to respect and acknowledge those barbs as a beautiful protection of our vulnerabilities and go forward with compassion and forgiveness.

                                                                Time to smell the….Irises!!!

For all those struggling, working hard to ‘figure it out’, feeling lost in the muck of ‘it all’, no hope to anything getting better…..

Find comfort in your senses…get outside in nature, hang with your pet, watch a favorite movie, go to a museum, cook your grandma’s favorite recipe, listen to your favorite music, make art…..
It may not be the cure all but we are in it for the long run and need comforting routines that carry us from one step to another. The senses ground us in the present so weave them into daily self care and allow their ‘aromas ‘ to sink deep!
Art on ya’ll
Art Heals!!!

 One of the most important skills for those struggling with PTSD and mental health is resiliency, the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties and continue to function.
Society places high expectations to be perfect, which results in an ambush of our true self and a tangle of pressure to be something no one can obtain… perfection. This dynamic leads to shame, guilt, remorse, anger and a lifestyle of beating ourselves up over actions deemed mistakes.
I suggest one cure is to learn to love our mistakes as a growth step and view it as tool for creative healing. In practicing making mistakes, we learn our resiliency, humility, and core truths of our brokenness which then can be embraced in forgiveness and growth. Mistakes allow us to choose different behaviors that support our truths, thus creating better self-esteem and a clear slate of compassion to walk forward with.
Invention is often born from mistakes. The arts and creativity can act as a workbook for identifying and solving alternative methods and perspectives through making, process, materials manipulation and reworking intention. In art, if one doesn’t like what is seen, creativity provides the conduit to redo and provide a different path toward the agreeable completion of the work, thus resiliency is practiced and learned. Making mistakes is very freeing to the constraints of always being perfect and right allowing one to embrace the beautiful brokenness of being real and a human. Art is an excellent teacher for making mistakes beautiful.
My advice….go make mistakes and give yourself a pat on the back for breaking out of self-jail and needing to be perfect!
 

 Morning walk brought to you by a spirit in the sky and Mammillaria cactus!
When the four walls are closing in, a walk will help whatever ails you from stress, fogginess, depression, lethargy, appetite problems, attitude and mental blocks. Let air, circulation, movement, a pet and nature be your jump start to feeling better.

This wisp of beauty hung in the sky for no more than 5 minutes and captured my attention as it then suddenly evaporated into blueness. A rainbow ray lightly glimmered in it but I couldn’t capture it in this photo. The morning had a magical start from the visit of this spirit in the sky and made me thankful to have witnessed its short but enchanted appearance.

I have certain plants I pass daily and keep up with their development or demise. This Mammillaria cactus is one of them. The many babies appeared this year making me feel like a happy gramma!
The plants are usually small, globose to elongated, the stems from 1 cm to 20 cm in diameter and from 1 cm to 40 cm tall, clearly tuberculate, solitary to clumping forming mounds of up to 100 heads and with radial symmetry. Tubercles can be conical, cylindrical, pyramidal or round. The roots are fibrous, fleshy or tuberous.

Legend of the cactus (one of many)
A long time ago, there was a young man who lived in a Native American tribe. He went hunting one day, and ventured so deep into the woods that not a single person could ever reach him. Suddenly, terrible monsters appeared and began to pursue him. The young man realized that there was no escaping them, and, losing his strength, he turned to the gods for help.
In response, they turned him into a deer so that he could escape the pursuers. But the monsters still caught up with him. It almost looked like he was done for, when all of a sudden, the deer disappeared: it had turned into a small prickly plant that looked like a cone. Thus the first cactus came to be.
 

Morning walk brought to you by barnacles, oyster, murex and hermit crab.

I am often asked why I post this on art and health sites. My answer is there is a whole being that needs complete care and attention. Maintaining separation between interests has its place, but when healing PTSD, it’s all hands on deck! Integrating all parts of our life support long lasting healing. The beauty found in nature inspires creativity AND increase circulation to improve health. Hope, stress-reduction, beauty, connection and good health are management tools for PTSD triggers.
Moral injury is one of the key components of PTSD. Without attending to our spirit, we can’t completely heal. Much loss and alteration occur from trauma and become a thorn preventing the wounds to close.  My hope is to present visuals and conversation that inspire creativity, move someone to take a walk, crack a smile, warm a heart and feel a sense of who they are. These integrative actions help one to feel more grounded and connected, thus reducing PTSD symptoms.

Aeosop Fable
As two Men were walking by the sea-side at low water, they saw an Oyster, and they both stooped at the same time to pick it up. One pushed the other away, and a dispute ensued. A third Traveler coming along at the time, they determined to refer the matter to him, which of the two had the better right to the Oyster. While they were each telling his story, the Arbitrator gravely took out his knife, opened the shell, and loosened the Oyster. When they had finished, and were listening for his decision, he just as gravely swallowed the Oyster, and offered them each a Shell. “The Court,” said he, “awards you each a Shell. The Oyster will cover the costs.”

 




Integrating art and mental health can be a game changer to get unstuck and heal. Being present with materials and process allows expression and release and of the unspeakable. This acknowledgment results in validation and understanding. The beginning of healing!






Art process
Lora (parrot)
Palm husk, cholla, date palm seed branch, paper, seed pod, tape, beads

My new project is inspired by my friend’s Amazon Parrot, nature and invention!
It took awhile to figure how to make the head. It ended up being quite simple, newspapers wrapped with masking tape then coated with gesso. The seed pod beak turned out perfect once fit into the newspaper before wrapping. Paper feathers will cover the head.
Next I have to figure out how to connect the head to the husk…stay tuned!

The process results in happiness and inspiration , a foundation to maintain good mental health!
Art Heals!!!
Art on y’all!!!

Sand Endures
Millions of shell, rock and creatures
Crushed relentlessly over millenniums
Particles of the past and present mingle
Ridges and dips, texture and patterns, life and death
Sand’s cemetery nourishes
Houses life
Marks time like a metronome
Leaves evidence of those before
Resiliency always wins and beauty remains.

There is much to learn from sand for our own mental health resiliency. The struggle is daily and relentless, but we can learn longevity survives best when going with the flow. Resisting the flow only hurts ourselves and muddies the waters. Tuck and roll, dip and dive, meet the surge with grace, which is how sand teaches us to persevere.

Sand teaches us beauty comes in many forms. All live side by side and accentuate the unique characteristics of their differences with splendor. We can learn much from this in our own lives. Sand moves seamlessly to join outcasts and transforms variations into a single fabric of life living cooperatively in the rules of survival.

Sand teaches us about life and death.  It caresses the remains of struggle to provide a fertile landscape for life to dwell. Slowly and surely life and death mesh into the grains of sand to become a seamless weaving of existence. Firm, soft, rippled, fine, coarse, smooth all fit together as a beautiful mosaic to be seen by us as a living textbook of lessons to be learned.

Life’s lessons abound in nature only needing to be recognized in our own reflection and lives. Take a moment to consider how you fit into its embrace.
 
What do you learn from sand?

 
Tortuga
Mixed media/ Palm husk, cholla, barnacles, leather, glass, paper, acrylic

What a wonderful process of problem solving, physics, determination, invention and fulfillment. So many found natural materials to mix and blend, all finally cooperating in beauty! This piece gave me so much joy to create, meshing my morning walk treasures with my minds eye vision, truly a work of the heart, soul and mental health.

Now I share it with you in hope of inspiring a lifted spirit and a moment of joy to plant seeds to feel your own beautiful potential!

As you see Kona was equally appreciative of Tortuga as she was part of the treasure hunt and moral support in it’s making!!!!

Art heals!!!!
Art on ya’ll!!!!

 Regardless if you don’t know whether you are coming or going , recognize the journey is your beautiful creation.

My suggestion for this weekend is to practice making mistakes.
You say what?????

Our peace of mind is often tangled in our high expectations and belief we are supposed to be perfect at all times. This dynamic is an immediate ambush of our truest self because humans are not perfect…no one is.
Usually mistakes are met with shame, guilt, remorse, anger and an unlimited number of ways to beat ourselves up. Obviously those reactions maintain a routine of self abuse and feeling discouraged, which will sink our boat every time.

In practicing making mistakes, we learn our resiliency, humility and core truths of our brokenness which then can be embraced in forgiveness and growth. New doors and perceptions open and allow thinking outside the box to view ourselves clearly and choose different behaviors that support our truths, thus creating better self esteem and a clear slate of forgiveness to walk forward with.
This was one of the most significant lessons I learned as I healed and managed my PTSD. It was so freeing to remove those pressures of needing to be perfect and right. It was challenging at first but became a secure platform of being and enabled my frozen self within to thaw and flow as it should Art is an excellent teacher for making mistakes beautiful..

Sooo, go make mistakes and give yourself a pat on the back for breaking out of self jail and needing to be perfect!!!

 Morning walk brought to you by Flower Hat jelly, Sea Biscuit, sand and my silly pooch!

Take a walk today to increase circulation, clear your jumbled thoughts, release emotions, get inspiration, get centered and increase your joy factor!!! My pooch is an excellent motivator and companion in establishing this routine.

This jellyfish (was huge if you’ll notice my foot near it for comparison. I believe it’s a flower hat jelly (Olindias). Although they look like a jellyfish, they actually belong in the class Hydrozoa, while true jellyfish belong in class Scyphozoa . One year thousands of these were in the water and beach but haven’t seen them to that extent for years. They are beautifully translucent and appear to have a beautiful flower within.

The white looking puff is a Sea Biscuit and are very fragile and break easily.Sea Biscuits are very similar to Sand Dollars with inflated shells, and both are related to Sea Urchins. The name Clypeaster means Flowered Round Shield. This refers to the shape of the animal and to the 5 “petaled” flower shape on top of the animal.

We can learn from sand in that it adapts to its environment resulting in character, beauty and resilience. I am always enriched by its awesome patterns which in turn inspire my creativity, which always makes me feel better!!!!!

Gifts of nature, pooches, creativity help to navigate this crazy world!!!!

Walk, create and inspire yourself in nature!

I am so humbled and thankful for the support and friendships made in the writing and release of my memoir, Frida and Me.

Gifts of Frida have been given along with healing of the heart and connection to many,just like me,struggling with PTSD.
I get messages all the time how my story has helped give others a hope and prayer for their own journeys, thus fulfilling my intention of writing this book.

I encourage anyone struggling with mental health issues to give my story a read for understanding how art can be a very powerful tool to address all the words tucked deep within. Expression can have a voice through image and be released for a path to peace within.

Art was my game changer after my bus wreck in Mexico and years of struggling with PTSD. Frida Kahlo,also in a bus wreck in Mexico, gave me permission to view my pain differently through art and validated the brokenness I hid from. That acknowledgment renewed my self respect and allowed me to connect to the world again on a path of healing and fulfillment.

Writing this memoir was indeed difficult and I questioned myself daily as to whether to share the intensity which was my life. Now, I am very happy I did because so many of you have benefited and supported me in this journey. I wrote Frida and Me in hopes of easing the struggle from PTSD and present art as a tool for mental health recovery.

Again, thank you friends and May we all find peace!!!!! Share with anyone touched by trauma and their support systems.

Art heals!!!

                                                                    2022, can you believe it? 
 
I always thought the older I got, the slower time would go, but I have been very wrong in that expectation, it seems to go faster! But then again, time is really just a concept so learning to live in the present is the best medicine for keeping up.

Many changes are upon our societies and can be very difficult, especially for those with a trauma background. PTSD is already a wild ride, so the ups and downs of life challenges are more difficult and likely to trigger and destabilize one’s path. Remaining grounded and present are the best tools to manage the onslaught threatening a peaceful life. 
 
Here are 5 simple ideas to help:

1. Breathe Deep
I know you hear this all the time, but it is the most immediate way to slow down anxiety and stress, especially when triggered or overwhelmed. The increased oxygen slows down the heart, fuels the brain and opens a door to release stress. An exhale pushes it out of the body and allows a fresh breath to wash through the body and fuel calm. Calm allows us to think more clearly and make choices vs. reacting, which can inevitably take us down a rabbit hole and keep us lost in our own darkness.
Following your breath is a way to be present in the moment, what is more accessible than a deep inhale and exhale? No matter where you are, the breath is with you. Practice in traffic when that person cuts you off, or when someone makes a snide comment, or when you are in line and have to wait….countless opportunities to practice greet us daily, so pay attention to the gift of breath and its benefits.

Art Tool: Feel the toxic energy, what color is it? Visualize blowing it out on exhale and breathe in the color you crave from the ground you stand on, through your body to the top of your head and release to the ethers. Repeat as often as you can until you feel a shift.


2. Change Your Environment
 PTSD response can be aided by changing your surroundings. Let’s say your boss puts the pressure on and suddenly the chest tightens, gut squirms and everything goes out of focus. Get yourself somewhere safe; the restroom, outside, a trusted colleagues office…breath deep and get centered. Maybe at your family dinner they begin criticizing your choices, take a break and walk away for 5-10 minutes. Tell them you need to do this or you will spiral down, they must learn this is a good thing and that you are not running away but taking care of yourself. If it is not a safe place to return to, that’s ok, do what is needed to keep yourself safe and stable. Again, part of this is not only learning how to do this, but teaching those around you what you need…they know you are suffering but are clueless how to help. 

Art Tool: Take a 3 minute vacation.
Remember your favorite place or vacation. Close your eyes and be there for 3 minutes. Keep a photo, souvenir or item in your purse or phone to jog your memory. 


3. Exercise & Nature
When triggered, I feel like I am going to explode. My morning walk outside in nature serves many purposes to help. Exercise helps circulate stagnant thoughts and feelings, washes us with endorphins (good for depression, pain, stress), provides prospective and a sense of place, strengthens our body systems, inspires creativity, gets us outside of our walls and, of course, uses our breath.

Exercise of any type, and in any location, is beneficial to PTSD management. Along with all the benefits listed above, body movement helps with insomnia and appetite. Working out frantic anxiety and stress through exercise also reduces conflict, because you are too tired to argue and have taken the edge off of what’s stimulating the struggle.

Art tool: Keep an eye out for inspiration from nature or environment ... take a picture, find an object to make something with, use this time to do color cleansing with your breath, plan your next creative act whether it’s cooking, singing, art etc.


4. Routine
Unexpected changes and lack of a regular routine can create havoc for PTSD management. The exciting chaos I used to be addicted to caused much instability and difficulty for my mind and body. Once I learned self-care, I was better in tune with my broken body and spirit, therefore, able to make decisions that worked for the new normal. 
 
It is a work in progress, but once that routine is forged it becomes the blueprint for peace and well-being. Eating, exercise, communication, work, and play…everything works better if one knows what to expect (within reason) and sets life’s rhythm to that tempo.

Those around you may not like the new tempo, but again, they need to be taught how these choices are good for you. This, in turn, is good for them because you will be more whole and true to yourself, therefore more able to be there for them. 
 
In many cases, those around you will not be able to get this, so find ways to work around them to maintain your routine or it may require boundary setting to stay present within.

Art tool: Check in with yourself daily with this simple activity.
Take a piece of paper (colored or not) and 2 crayons. For 3 minutes, doodle how you feel at the moment. Then turn the paper over and write about it for 3 minutes.

Circle the power words and make another with those words in mind. This simple activity is very grounding and telling of what is on your mind and in your heart. Just knowing this helps to be more centered and present.


5. Creativity
Of course art and creativity nurture staying present. The making process keeps you in the moment, uses the senses to connect, speaks to the unspoken self within, provides a map for yourself and others to see, can create beauty from pain, helps expression, and validates the gift you are. Each of these benefits encourages better self-esteem and willingness to be in the present versus avoidance.

Art tool: Establish a habit to do something creative and commit to it. It can be 10 minutes or 5 hours, whatever you can do, but do it. When I started to write, I didn’t start because I didn’t know what to say. An English professor told me it didn’t matter but what did matter was to do it regularly, write whatever I want, in order to establish the habit. It worked!
 
 I look forward to a year full of friendships and creative acts for us all!!!!
ART HEALS!

 

 Morning walk sponsored by Indian Paintbrush or Castilleja, a native wildflower in the family Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)and grows in moist areas, dry areas, and sandy prairies. It is characterized by it's spikelike flower cluster, which resemble a crude brush that has been dipped in paint. (No wonder I’m in love with this flower!) The Navajos used these plants for medicinal purposes such as a contraceptive or to decrease the menstrual cycle.….just a fun fact!

I have always had deep affection for this flower with it’s striking crimson that sparks inspiration! It isn’t abundant in our New Mexican soil, so that makes it even more precious upon spotting.

Kona finds it inviting also and plops down by it whenever we pass it!

Take this spark of beauty into your day and create a path of smiles in your footprints!

The native legend of Indian Paintbrush:

The First Indian Paintbrush

Once upon a time, a Blackfoot maiden fell in love with a wounded prisoner she was attending. The maiden realized that her tribe was only nursing its captive in order to torture him later. She planned an escape of the prisoner, accompanying him for fear of the punishment for such a deed.

After some time in her lover's camp she grew homesick for a glimpse of her old camp. She finally went to the site of her old camp, hid in the nearby bushes, and overheard two young braves discussing what would happen to the maiden who betrayed them, if only they could find her.

Knowing she could never return, but nonetheless longing to return, she took a piece of bark and drew a picture of the camp upon it with her own blood, gashing her leg and painting with a stick.
After drawing the picture, the maiden threw the stick away and returned to her lover's camp. Where the stick landed, a little plant grew with a bush-like end, dyed with the blood of this girl, which became the first Indian Paintbrush.

Adapted from "Old Man's Garden" by Annora Brown

 As portrayed in my memoir, Frida and Me, I traveled to Guatemala in 1977 & visited Tikal to see the ancient pyramids of the Mayans. I became infatuated with the Mayan codices (codes used for communication before the written word) etched in the stone of these magnificent structures. Each image spoke volumes and I could almost feel the presence and footsteps of the Mayans. Their images proved a picture says a thousand words.

Many years later after my bus wreck in Mexico and PTSD struggles,I started doing batik (fabric/dye/wax technique) again after having learned it in Mexico all those years prior. This batik is an example, and part of the flood of memories that emerged from that difficult time. The Mayan codices provided me a language to begin a dialog of healing PTSD with art!

Trauma is rooted in the senses initially, so it makes sense to start there when managing PTSD. Follow your intuition and creative acts will allow the hurt,confusion and pain a voice of beauty and healing!
Art Heals!!!!

 
Juniper berries
Mimicking the sky
Deep purpled blue
Embraced in a hug
Of a segmented shawl
Weathered year after year
After year after year.
May we learn the endurance
Of nature’s conifers
And wear our shawls as elegantly as does the Juniper berry.

Find inspiration and creative outpouring from the beauty that graces our lives!

Art Heals!

 
I am so humbled and thankful for the support and friendships made in the writing and release of my memoir, Frida and Me.

Gifts of Frida have been given along with healing of the heart and connection to many,just like me,struggling with PTSD.
I get messages all the time how my story has helped give others a hope and prayer for their own journeys, thus fulfilling my intention of writing this book.

I encourage anyone struggling with mental health issues to give my story a read for understanding how art can be a very powerful tool to address all the words tucked deep within. Expression can have a voice through image and be released for a path to peace within.

Art was my game changer after my bus wreck in Mexico and years of struggling with PTSD. Frida Kahlo,also in a bus wreck in Mexico, gave me permission to view my pain differently through art and validated the brokenness I hid from. That acknowledgment renewed my self respect and allowed me to connect to the world again on a path of healing and fulfillment.

Writing this memoir was indeed difficult and I questioned myself daily as to whether to share the intensity which was my life. Now, I am very happy I did because so many of you have benefited and supported me in this journey. I wrote Frida and Me in hopes of easing the struggle from PTSD and present art as a tool for mental health recovery.

Again, thank you friends and May we all find peace!!!!! Share with anyone touched by trauma and their support systems.

Art heals!!!