On May 10th 2015, I broke my back in a boating accident.

 

Every night, I had vivid dreams of bright colors, hands throwing and dragging paint on the canvas, colliding colors, concentric circles.

 

A week later, I bought canvas, paint and a brush. I put my first stroke down on May 15, 2015 and have not stopped since.

 

How I did I go from trauma to “re-birth” with this new gift to paint?

 

It took years before I could call myself an artist.

 

Then I read about the research of Dr. Richard Tedeschi from The Post Traumatic Growth Research Group at the University of North Carolina.

 

"PTG is positive change experienced as a result of the struggle with a major life crisis or a traumatic event.

 

It is the idea that human beings can be changed by their encounters with life challenges, sometimes in radically positive ways".

 

It was through Dr. Tedeschi's phone calls and discussions that I fully embraced my new life.

 

Today we are planning to create a global creative community for trauma victims who are on their own PTG journey. Not limited to just visual artists but writers, musicians, singers, poets, street artists, preforming artists, photographers, animators etc. will be the creative foundation.

 

The PTG platform will showcase each journey and work to inspire other trauma victims to join us, spread awareness of PTG and raise money for research.

 

I still dream my paintings every night however, the hands I see are now my own.

 

I am an artist.