News

Grieving is a deeply personal journey, and though the stages of grief are often discussed, they’re rarely experienced in a neat, linear order. The five main stages—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—can take years to work through. Here’s how they unfolded for me after my father’s death. 1. Denial When my father died, I was numb. I went to the funeral, but it felt like a strange, surreal experience, as though I was watching it all unfold from the outside. I was unaware of the true impact of his passing, stuck in a fog of disbelief. In this state, emotions...

They say practice makes perfect, but in the world of art, practice makes something much more thrilling—it creates inspiration. When you’re striving to master a craft, repetition and routine often get a bad rap. But for artists, it’s the bread and butter, a ritual of sorts that brings us face-to-face with those elusive “aha” moments that otherwise wouldn’t happen. Practice is the crucible that turns raw ideas into polished inspiration, and inspiration fuels the drive to keep going, even when the work gets tough or unpredictable. The Artist’s Routine: Finding Freedom in Repetition Routine can be our best friend, even...

Dan Joyce’s collection, Beautiful Minds: 50 People Who Have Suffered Mental Illness, brings history’s most iconic figures into an intimate dialogue on mental health, capturing raw emotion and resilience through art. This unique series of watercolor portraits, sized at 24x32 inches, isn’t just a testament to Joyce’s artistic talent but also to his empathy for those who navigated the turbulent waters of mental illness. Figures like Vincent van Gogh, Sylvia Plath, and Ernest Hemingway—each known for their creative brilliance—are thoughtfully depicted, paying homage to their contributions and acknowledging the weight they carried. This collection reframes how we view these celebrated...

Sometimes, setting goals and making plans can feel like trying to build a house on shifting sands. Not knowing where I’ll end up or what challenges may come makes it tough to envision a clear path forward. Still, I’m grateful for the support from people like you and Natalie, who help keep me grounded, even when life feels unpredictable. One thing I want to mention—and I hope you won’t be frustrated—is my ongoing journey with smoking. I know it’s not everyone’s favorite topic, and it’s fine to disapprove. But anyone who has quit an addiction (or even been on a...

People ask me, should I expect my mother to continue supporting me all her life? The answer is simple—no, of course not. I never expected her to carry that burden. But, at the very least, she could have given me the chance for success that my father tried to leave me, instead of cheating me out of it. She could have chosen not to interfere with my life by manipulating those around me. Going to my therapist, my lawyer, and essentially buying them out to make me seem more disabled than I am—just to keep me further stuck in a...