About

 

I’m Joanne, artist and writer.

 

 

I am a lifetime creative driven by curiosity and a passion for learning. I’m not satisfied with learning for the sake of learning or art for the sake of art, I want to change for the better and impact my piece of the world in a positive way because of my exploration in art and learning.

This combination has provided motivation to explore how my experiences have shaped me and how I perceive the world. I want to encourage others to use creativity as a tool to process what they see and hope that they may also brighten their piece of the world.

 

Things I like to learn about:

• Art and how it impacts people through expression and connection
• Right vs. left brain thinking
• People, how they communicate and why they communicate that way
• Trauma, the effects of it and how to cope after it
• Bridging the gap between what people say/write/see and what people hear/understand

I have been known to say that I would be a career student if someone else paid for it. Although I finished college with a B.A. in Psychology (after changing my major several times—my curiosity and passion often distract my attention!), I decided to stay home with my children.

My children are older now and spend their days at school. Instead of hopping back into the workforce, I decided to take some time to learn more about myself. Amazingly, I had reached adulthood knowing what others expected of me and very little of who I really am. Life is too short to give it away to things that are meaningless while losing yourself and those you love in the process. So, I’m on a journey toward a career of my choice and making. It’s the long way around to a career, but in the end, I believe I’ll be more satisfied with the results.

 

 

My core values:

• Learn. Never stop learning. It encourages curiosity and sparks hope.
• Honesty but not the brutal kind. Because honesty without kindness is just bitterness disguised as truth.
• Integrity and respect, the kind where inside matches outside.
  
• Variety and flexibility because who wants to be put in a box of someone else’s making?
• Creativity and unique voice. We each have a place without needing to compete. Instead, we can encourage each other as we wander through our learning journey.
  
• Grace, understanding and forgiveness because I have bad days and mess up and so do you.

 

Things I love to do when I’m not arting or lettering:

• Running is a major de-stressor for me. I quite literally run away from my stress, and as I do, my stress vanishes allowing me to deal with the real issues of my day. I will run outside as often as I can, even in the rain and down to 20 degrees F.
• Getting a little dirt on my hands. Actually, I usually wear gloves, but I love to grow vegetables (or is it that I love to eat them when they are as fresh as possible?). I even have an unheated winter hoop house that grows greens throughout the chill of winter.
• Writing about what I’m learning or what I’m processing. There is no better way to grab hold of my swirling thoughts than to write them down. It can happen with a pencil, pen, phone, tablet, or laptop. It doesn’t matter, just that I spill it in words. And yes, there are a few books I would like to write someday.
• Playing April Fools jokes on my kids … ahem … but only the fun ones. I don’t like to clean up the effects of a plastic-wrapped toilet seat!
• Watching my kids play soccer and pretending to know how to play it with them. The older they get, the slower I get, but I can stand in front of a goal and let the ball bounce off of me. Any ball prints (and they do leave the hexagon-shaped patterns) I get on my body only last a few hours. It’s all worth it.

I invite you to join me as I delve into this thing called life with an attitude of exploration and curiosity. We’ll learn as we go and watch where it takes us.

Go ahead. Write it. Draw it. Dance it. Dream it.

I’m running beside you cheering you on!