Artistic Reflections: Navigating Change and Healing Through Art

Change doesn’t always arrive with warning. Sometimes it sweeps in like a storm, and other times it creeps slowly into the corners of our lives. For me, art has always been the thread I follow through uncertainty—a quiet companion that helps me process, reflect, and begin again.

1976 Getting ready to move and change schools again. I would draw on anything I could get my hands on. This little donkey was one of the "drawing tests" that would be published in newspapers and magazines.

Art has long been a powerful medium for navigating life’s shifts, whether emotional, physical, or spiritual. Through the movement of a brush or the layering of digital color, we artists often find ourselves speaking truths we didn’t even know we carried. Creation becomes a form of self-translation—a way to understand what’s happening within and around us.

In my own life, especially after retiring from teaching and facing the emotional landscapes that came with personal loss, I returned to art not just as a pastime, but as a lifeline. Each piece I create holds part of that journey. Sometimes it’s a mess of colors that captures grief. Sometimes it’s the careful shaping of texture that reflects patience and healing. Often, I find the subject chooses me before I even know what needs saying.

This is "Dad's Roadrunner" a painting I created after both of my parents passed away. The background was created using fluid acrylics while I was caring for my mom after my dad passed. The roadrunner was created using joint compound to create a 3-D effect.

The creative process, especially as we age and grow into different versions of ourselves, becomes a kind of meditation. A conversation between who we were, who we are, and who we’re becoming. It invites us to sit with discomfort, to celebrate small joys, and to embrace imperfection as part of the beauty.

There’s also a wonderfully practical side to all of this. Learning new techniques, experimenting with unfamiliar materials, diving into color theory or design composition—it all adds richness to the journey. Whether you're discovering digital art later in life (as I did) or returning to your creative roots, every experiment is a small triumph.

My first digital art project (2020) for an online class titled "Illustration from Imagination" with David Belliveau of Paintable.cc

Art, in its many forms, offers a path to connection—with ourselves, with others, and with something greater than us. It reminds us that transformation is ongoing and that healing doesn’t have to be tidy. It just has to be honest.

So wherever you are on your creative path—whether you're reemerging after years away, starting anew, or simply trying to stay afloat—know that you’re not alone. Let your art hold space for your truth. Let it guide you gently forward.

Take a moment today to create something—anything—that speaks to where you are right now. Let it be honest. Let it be yours. Sometimes, healing begins with simply giving yourself permission to begin.