Articles & Blogs

Dec 1 2023

Creative Mirroring: Photography to Honor the Landscapes we Inhabit

An 'Art Cures' Offering: A Series of Creative Exercises for Personal Healing and Social Impact.   Since my recent move to Virginia, I've been reflecting on the ways that the surrounding landscape affects me. Whether in an urban or natural environment, there is much beauty and curiosity that influences me if I pay attention. I have always found that photography is a great way to feel more connected to all the details that shape a place.   We often hear the idea that the camera creates distance. This can happen, but if I am walking or traveling with the intention ...
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Nov 17 2023

Straddling Two Worlds: East Coast/West Coast Gratitude

Geography shapes who we are. We are formed and inspired by the landscape around us - whether it be through nature or an urban environment. I was born in Washington, D.C. Due to my father's work as a nutritional anthropologist, we moved to different landscapes in Jamaica (the Caribbean), Norway, Connecticut, and Ohio. After I went to college my parents landed in Northern Virginia for my father's job in DC working for the US Government through AID (Agency for International Development). Soon after their move, I took a train cross country to San Francisco. I never imagined I would stay on the West Coast for an extended time, but ...
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Nov 17 2023

Creative Support: Gather ‘Art’ Cards to Send to Friends in Need

"Art Cures" Offering: A Series of Creative Exercises for Personal Healing and Social Impact.   As we move through our days, it is hard not to have the awareness of suffering in other parts of the world, as well as close to home. People often speak to me about feeling helpless and uncertain about how to support a loved one and/or a cause they want to fight for. At times, it can be paralyzing, and for me, it can be amplified if I am depleted or find myself overloaded with painful realities.   I have found that simple actions are ...
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Nov 3 2023

Creative Resource: Identify a Body Anchor and Create an Image as a Touchstone

An 'Art Cures' Offering: A Series of Creative Exercises for Personal Healing and Social Impact. There is always a place in the body where a sense of ease can be found. The body is our home that carries us through the world; it helps us connect with others and our environment. The way that our body functions contains a vast amount of intelligence and resilience. When facing current events and sensory overload, it is a useful tool to tap into an anchor/resource in the body as it can give us relief from the mind's preoccupation with fear, worry, self-criticism and ...
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Oct 27 2023

Creative Nourishment: Soak in Poetry, Music or Art to Soothe the Soul

An 'Art Cures' Offering: A Series of Creative Exercises for Personal Healing and Social Impact. Do you fall into despair or overwhelm around life events and the barrage of news updates? So often we stay glued to the phone and get inundated with information which can increase anxiety and decrease our ability to respond effectively. There is such a strong need for the 'pause' - the ability to find places and spaces to connect with the deeper meaning of life. It was so much easier to stay present when I was younger - before all the virtual distractions. Listening to ...
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Oct 20 2023

Creative Care: Make a Simple Altar to Support with a Loss or Transition 

Life is in a constant state of flux. We are continually being asked to adapt to 'new norms' and are still adjusting to the effects of the pandemic. Instability in governments, war, climate insecurity, losing loved ones, and facing mental health crises are front and center for so many of us. I see first hand in my own life, and through my work with others how easy it is to get caught up putting out metaphorical 'fires', i.e. reacting to life rather than taking time to tend to what needs attention and care. If we can find pauses in our ...
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Oct 13 2023

Exercise: Draw Your Emotions in Response to Current Events

As we move through our days, we experience so much in our own lives, work, and interactions. We are affected by the environment around us and global events. Some of us feel so much! I have always been sensitive to outside stimulus and had strong empathy for suffering. This is the gift of the healer and the artist. It can also be overwhelming and exhausting. Having strategies to release and express can provide relief. Art expression is be an excellent and effective tool. This week has been especially affecting as we navigate the news from the Middle East. Finding ways to care for ourselves ...
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May 30 2023

My Mentors: The ‘Original’ Influencers of Art, Movement and Healing

As I prepare to leave the Bay Area and step into a new chapter in life and work, I am in a reflective time inquiring into what I have gained over three decades of immersion in Northern California culture. This career I have cultivated has brought me into the roles of mentor, therapist and teacher (and of course 'artist'). I don't take for granted that I've landed in my purpose and calling, and that I receive tremendous value from engaging in the work. In my recent Art Cures retreat at the San Francisco Zen Center I gathered with many students and clients that I have supported over ...
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Apr 2 2023

My Rejection Story

I want to talk about my first hand experience with rejection. Part of achieving success as a creative person is learning to market oneself, be visible, and in turn find strategies to manage disappointment. Like most of us, I have had my share. And, despite the knowledge that rejection is to be expected, it is hard to accept when encountering it. Getting the 'no' from a film festival, a decline letter from a grant proposal, a brush-off from a potential client, or being 'ghosted' when sharing work can be discouraging. All of these instances have given me the opportunity to ...
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Dec 14 2022

Tap into a Creative Mindset!

Happy Holidays! As 2022 winds to a close, and we get ready for a different pace over the holidays, I am thanking you for being a part of my creative community. I find ongoing inspiration from the art expressions of the people I work with through my practice and in my courses. I also have so many incredible colleagues and artist friends who model how art can be a practice of healing, connection and social change. I wanted to offer you an exercise to tap into a creative mindset that can also offer you time for contemplation and integration as ...
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