For much of my life, I struggled to express the depth of my emotions, often silencing parts of myself to fit into environments that didn’t have space for vulnerability. That silence took a toll on my mental and emotional well-being. It wasn’t until I picked up a sketchbook and allowed myself to express without judgment that I found a path to healing.

SketchPoetic was born from this journey, an intuitive, daily practice of creative expression that gave form to what words could not. What started as a personal ritual became a global movement, helping others access emotional clarity through sketching. Today, my life’s work centers around advocating for the integration of art, emotional awareness, and somatic healing in mental health spaces. I’ve seen firsthand how creativity can be a bridge between what we feel and what we understand. My relationship to mental health is not just about my own healing, it’s about creating safe, accessible, and soulful ways for others to heal, too.

The act of creating without expectation helped me reconnect with my intuition, regulate my nervous system, and find meaning in my emotional landscape.

I have found that art has helped me process my own past trauma and helped me to reconfigure my distorted beliefs that I had long carried. By allowing myself the freedom to experiment with different styles in different ways, I began to discover, and sometimes remember, vast parts of myself.

I have fond memories of going to a restaurant near Golden Gate Park with my father. I remember seeing a window artist draw cartoons on the glass as we ate. I was mesmerized by watching a short film depicting animators draw on cellophane for animation stills.

The act of illustrating has allowed myself the freedom and the bravery to remember how to play, how to have fun, even when we face challenges.