Turning Your Story into Art: The Creative Journey
There’s something magical about hearing someone’s story for the first time. It’s not just the words or the events they describe, it’s the emotions, the memories, the unique little details that make their story unlike anyone else’s. When I take on a commission, that’s where the process begins: with a story, and the challenge of transforming it into something visual, surreal, and deeply personal.
When someone approaches me with an idea, it’s like opening the first chapter of a book. Sometimes, it’s a love story, a couple’s journey across the world, weathering life’s challenges together. Other times, it’s a reflection of resilience, loss, and transformation. Every story is layered, and my goal is to unravel those layers and weave them into an artwork that feels alive with meaning.
Finding the Thread
The first step is finding the thread, the heart of the story. This is where I dive in and start asking questions:
What’s the moment or emotion you want to capture?
What does it feel like?
If you could see it, what would it look like?
Sometimes, the answer is clear and immediate. Other times, it’s hidden in the smallest details, like a passing mention of a favorite color or a memory tied to a specific place. I love the challenge of finding that thread, pulling it out, and turning it into something visual.
Building the Vision
Once I’ve found the heart of the story, I start to imagine what it might look like. This part feels a bit like daydreaming. I’ll let my mind wander through surreal imagery that drifts through my mind, as it likes to do, pulling together symbols, colors, and metaphors that feel true to the story.
For example, I once created a concept for a collector whose story revolved around perseverance and finding home. The painting featured floating balloons with lush green grass and waterfalls spilling over their edges, symbolizing the destinations they’d traveled to. In the foreground, an overgrown chessboard symbolized leaving behind an old game for a new life. It all came together in a way that felt both deeply personal and universal. Quite often they draw an unexpected tear.
The Surreal Twist
What excites me most about this process is taking a familiar story and giving it a surreal edge. This is where the magic happens, where I can incorporate the unexpected. Perhaps it’s a lotus flower for a head, representing transformation, or a field of flowers growing from decay, symbolizing rebirth.
These surreal elements don’t just make the painting visually striking, they create layers of meaning. They invite the viewer to look deeper, to find themselves in the story, even if it wasn’t originally theirs.
Collaboration and Discovery
Throughout the process, I love sharing sketches and ideas with my collectors. It’s a collaboration, a creative conversation. Sometimes, their reaction to a sketch will spark a new idea or take the painting in an unexpected direction.
One of my favorite moments is when a collector sees their story come to life for the first time. There’s this look of recognition, like they’ve just seen a part of themselves they didn’t know could exist in art. That moment is what makes this process so special.
Why I Do It
Every commission is an adventure, a journey into someone else’s world. It’s both humbling and exciting to be trusted with someone’s story, to turn it into something they can hold onto and cherish.
In truth, my art has always been about stories, whether I’m creating a commission or working on a piece for myself. I’ve found that my creativity is deeply rooted in being receptive to the lives and experiences of others. Their stories inspire me, shape my perspective, and ultimately find their way into my work in ways that even surprise me sometimes. It’s through this openness, this willingness to listen and connect, that I’m able to translate the intangible into something visual.
When you look at the final painting, I want you to see more than just art. I want you to see your story, your triumphs, your struggles, your moments of beauty and joy, reflected back at you. And perhaps, in doing so, you’ll also see the quiet ways your story connects to others, woven into something bigger than either of us could imagine.
This is why I create. This is why I listen. And this is why I’d love to hear your story.