“As beings, we sometimes get lost along our path and need direction. I was an artist lost in creative frustration, forcefully working on projects for years while seeking the feeling that creating had once brought me. I had to give up and restart from the very beginning in order to rediscover that joy.

 I began mentally listing crafting materials given to us as children, paper: crayons: pencils: scissors: glue... tissue paper. The last two prompted a pause and made my heart skip a beat. Though simplistic in nature, gluing layers of tissue paper together and playing with combining colors is where my spark for making art reignited. Similar past projects began flooding my memories, immediately I realized those were the ones that I had the most peace and calm creating.

 I’ve realized along the way that while the materials seem simple, my process is complex. With each color selected: tissue sheet layered, shape cut, and piece glued. I have been therapeutically putting the pieces of my artistic self back together, tiny steps at a time. Getting lost and asking questions led me to find immense enjoyment in creating art again.”

 -Shelby Baxter