Many authors and artists have echoed the idea that telling your story is a revolutionary act, one that reinforces the immeasurable value of our lives. With this act, our ignorance of each other’s humanity is transformed into compassion and solidarity. Hatred can be transformed when we tell our stories–unafraid. The inverse is also true. Silence enforced on us from without, or from within, is a true destroyer of life. Pushing forth what is inside us into the world, letting it transform us, being a witness to life and love and pain, is an act of rebellion against the forces of silence and shame. Our stories are dangerous to those who would have the dirge of powerlessness and oppression continue endlessly. The art we make, and the words we choose to use every day, are always political.

I am an artist and an author. Writing and art-making have been passed down to me through two generations of women artists, along with a respect for my role as an artist in society and for the creative force itself. Art-making is as much a career as it is a part of my values and my spiritual path.

I am working on a memoir which is a collection of short stories about my journey into, and out of, the world of psychiatric labels and trauma. Through this collection of stories, I explores the medicalization of suffering and the parallel loss of language around emotional pain, the healing power of witnessing each other’s suffering without force, and creative expression as a path to empowerment.

My other work which includes essays, visual art, graphic narratives, and poetry explores empowerment, oppression, empathy, identity, normalization of suffering and the power of creative expression to transform trauma. I also do pet portraits! Which you can see under the commissions tab – much love to our furry friends. My study of Buddhism and improvisational comedy find their way into my work as well.