When I was nineteen, my childhood sweetheart (now my husband 🥰) gave me a watercolor set for Christmas. That gift would become my saving grace. 🙏🏾

When we married, our son was seven months old. I was a sophomore in college. Our marriage was turbulent. Balancing work, marriage, motherhood, and college was taking its toll.

One night, I was extremely overwhelmed. I wanted to cry. But, the tears would not come. I had suppressed my emotions for so long they had forsaken me in my time of need.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I thought, “How can I get this pain out of me?” Then my soul whispered, “Paint it.” So, I took the watercolor set out of the closet and began to paint. I painted with my heart and not my eyes. All the emotions I had suppressed came to the surface. The canvas cried the tears my eyes refused to shed.

My tears took the form of a female figure. Faceless yet full of raw emotion. That night, I found my artistic voice. And my soul began to shout!

Painting is my saving grace. It is a faithful, non-judgmental confidant. Through art, I can openly cry without shedding a tear. Now, I no longer hide my vulnerability from the world. I paint it boldly on every canvas.