Christine's Page

I used to call myself an artist.

And then, work, divorce, travel, a happier marriage and excuses changed how I thought of myself.



Everything changed in an instant. I know many women who feel that they lose themselves when they become mothers, with the passing of the placenta, but I found the opposite to be true for me. Becoming a mother re-opened my eyes to life's beauty and how it is full of creative discoveries. For a few years life was magical.

And then we spent many months making trips to Akron Children's Hospital. Waiting, being angry, parts of my soul dropping away with every trip to that place. I was trying to hold our lives together with a forced smile and a 4 year old in tow. Angry with a broken baby and a fairy princess wasn't an option. So I spent what time I could making projects for myself and my daughter. Sometimes it was a cake and sometimes we would bring out the finger paints, I did whatever art therapy I could come up with in a moments notice.



I found that my little point and shoot became a way for me to see everything and hide at the same time. I took it everywhere with me, even into the hemophilia clinic. I decided to dust off the now classic cameras that had been box away years ago, and give an old passion some new heat.

At some point I thought it might be a good idea to have a portable project with me when I went to the hospital. I have to sit for hours at a time, just waiting and worrying. After years of embroidery I took up a form I had never done before. A free-form style that met my needs perfectly. Small, full of expression, unlimiting and something I could put away without added stress.

After a few months of looking at the world through to cameras and stitching away my fears , the anger slipped away. The happy accident of this new life I have is that I found that I can call myself an artist.