Art Heals Me

This is the painting that started my career as a painter. Charlie was a baby. It was early 2011 and I felt trapped by Charlie's diagnosis and his need for round the clock medical care. I was also waking up the reality that my acting career was over for a while. My creative life was dying and I had no outlet for my work as a collaborative story-teller.

Those were dark days.

I had to do something creative and meaningful. So one day, I painted this image on top of an Ikea print that was hanging in our house. It's a depiction of me painting while holding Charlie.

Yesterday, I pulled it out of storage and hung it in Charlie's bedroom. It was - and is still - a reminder that no matter what challenges I face, no matter what obstacles lie in my path, I must always continue making art. Art heals me. And it turns out that it heals Charlie too.