When I was little I really loved the Disney Fairies, and my dad got me a how-to-draw fairies book. I followed the steps and my dad encouraged me to continue with drawing. I have continued to make art since then. Art helped me express myself when I was going through countless hospitalizations and coping with chronic illnesses and the fact that my high school experience was less than normal. It was through my love for art during these times that I found art therapy, or rather, art therapy found me. Ever since my sophomore year in high school, I knew that I had to become an art therapist, specifically at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, so that I could help other people going through similar experiences. Now through this endless isolating quarantine, I think it is appropriate now more than ever to pursue art therapy both as a career and as a way to maintain balance within myself. I believe art truly is therapy: it allows us to release both conscious and subconscious emotions, it reduces stress levels, and it can connect people together. I’m graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson University in May 2021 with a BFA, and I will continue on to Grad School to get my Master’s in art therapy after taking a gap year to pursue my own artistic endeavors.

My art teacher Junior year of high school was a stickler about art history, and she introduced us to all that art can be, incorporating it into the curriculum. One artist that stuck out to me was Kandinsky because he painted songs. I thought that was so unique and decided to try it out for myself. Five years later, I still paint songs. To do so, I listen to the song on repeat and close my eyes. Sometimes I see color, and other times I feel it. Whatever I’m perceiving, I put it onto canvas, including textures. Sometimes I do delicate swirls, other times I use unpredictable palette knives, and sometimes I use the paint tube like a crayon. But I never plan it out what it’s going to look like - that’s a surprise even for me. I like to paint wherever the music takes me. I used this niche to create my business, Art With A Heart. I no longer use how-to-draw books, I now make my own rules about art. I am not confined to just creating in one particular way. I love to plan precise and detailed portraits, and I also love to be spontaneous and experiment with abstract expressionism. There is no guideline that says I can’t create both types of art, or even combine the two together. One day, I hope my art will even be showcased in galleries and art museums.