Artist Statement: Amy S.
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Sobriety Date: September 2, 2018
Favorite Media: Music, Textile Design and Metal

Specs:

• Acrylic Paint on Canvas

• Wrapped Canvas

• 10 in x 8 in

It’s All About Connection.

My life is very different now that I am in recovery. I can actually do the things I want to do, enjoy them, and make a difference. Now, I am able to authentically connect with people, see God, and not wake up sick every morning.

Through art I am myself. It gives me a way to express what I am feeling, seeing – a way to connect with others. Art is primal. Humans have used it throughout time to go to a deeper level, express what they see, explain their world, and understand it better. I can express and relate on a different level because I am in recovery. Before recovery, I couldn’t connect or relate to things that were different than I was. I couldn’t express myself as well or get out of myself. I just didn’t know how. Now I have more empathy.

Making art gives me something to focus my mind on and see through to completion. It is immediate and has a tangible outcome, yet it also requires patience. Through my art in recovery, I have learned to become gentler with myself. Creating allows me the space to feel, see relationships and connections in my world, and view others in a new way.

Art has always been a super important part of society. The act of making it brings us into our hearts. It is not like math, science, or the things that society seems to reward in a normal work environment. It is a way to gather together and be authentic and real – sad or glad – together as a community.