I am a lifelong artist. I discovered that art can really truly be a healing process when I went to a place called "ArtStreet" as a child. This was basically a place that you could go to as a low income or even homeless person to create art as part of a state program. There was so much to do there and even though much of the art supplies was repurposed paper and old egg cartons there was so much that could be done with it. These experiences cemented in myself that you can take trash and old things, literal trash to most people, and turn it into beauty and creation. That feeling never left me, and I continue to hold on to that idea in my art, and the wonderful volunteers that provided guidance and imagination inspired me to continue art advocacy later in life.