Meet the Artist

I’ve had a very positive experience with NAMI WC. I’ve taken the Peer-to-Peer class, and my mother and girlfriend have taken Family-to-Family. I’ve been going to one of the support groups for 4 years now and recently took my training to become a facilitator for the group I attended! NAMI has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on my life and helped my loved ones and me understand my new diagnosis and learn about caring for their own mental health!

I mainly work in watercolor when I do 2D art and mixed media for sculpture and other 3D art. My work is heavily inspired by nature and my experiences as a queer, disabled, neurodivergent person who lives with ADHD, PTSD and Bipolar.

“Stronger together” was a sentiment I heard a lot during the beginning of the pandemic and it really stuck with me. I truly believe we’re stronger when we’re working together and looking out for one another. NAMI is all about that connection and unity, so it seemed appropriate!

I’m a gardener as well as an artist and I spend a lot of time looking at, taking care of, and drawing plants. My favorite plants to draw are those that are fasciated. Plant Fasciation is a kind of variation in plant growth in many different species of plant, including sunflowers. When a plant is Fasciated it grows differently than a traditional non-fasciated plant, and often becomes a minored version of itself. I find this abnormality beautiful and thought it was a good visual metaphor for those of us who live with unique brain chemistry. In the center of the sunflower is text that reads “Stronger Together” because as I’ve found from my experience with NAMI, both the community and individuals are stronger when we work together.

If you’re thinking of joining a NAMI peer support group, or taking one of their classes, you should go for it! I’ve learned so much from my peers in Washtenaw County over the past 4 years; it’s a crucial part of my support system!