I want to share with you one of the most incredible stories I’ve heard from my students.

Today in our mentoring group, my student Tiffany was telling me how she’s going to be putting on a show with 36 of her paintings. She wasn’t sure what to title her paintings, and I encouraged her to share a story about each of them, to help viewers connect with her art. But her response to this was more powerful.

Here’s what she said:

“I feel like the story is, that I started out of depression. And so I got into it for mental health reasons, and so it’s kind of evolved and grown. But always, my colors have always been there. Even in my darkest times, it was always bright and colorful, art that was coming out of me.”

During a depression my student Tiffany painted for 200 days in a row and her art saved her here. Now she’s getting ready to exhibit her 36 original paintings.

When I met Tiffany, she had started painting during a time she was struggling with depression. She told me she had painted every day for two years, just to maintain her happiness. Think of the determination this must have taken.

She told me even though everything was falling apart around her, art made a difference.

“It was very huge. Even though everything was falling apart around me, art really made a difference. And it made me know that I could do something, that I’m capable, and that I’m good. So it was a great thing for me.”

And now she’s having a show with 36 of her original paintings!

I wanted to send this to all of you today, to remind you how much your art does for you. How much it pays you back in spades, when you simply show up for a few minutes and get lost in creating. How the world feels rosier, and even in troubled times, you can create a bright spot.

Just think, with a thousand bright spots, we create a star. And with a thousand stars, we create a sun.

Keep painting. With love,
Kellie
PS. If anything in this email resonated with you, leave a comment below and let me know. I love hearing from you.