Thank you for stopping by our little corner of the world! I appreciate you taking time to learn more about the history of mindful art by mw and I’m happy to answer any additional questions that you have about the art, creations, mindful practices, or just life in general.
made with love to inspire, comfort, and promote joy
Before it was “mindful art by mw,” I called this little thing “our kitchen table creations” and it started as a way for me to share the joy I find in being creative. As a teacher, creativity is an important skill but circumstances outside of my control made me feel stifled and frustrated in my classroom and that was spilling over into all parts of my life. During this time, I was feeling stuck between being there for my students, balancing time to work on my master’s degree in reading instruction, implementing all the evidence based practices I was learning about all while meeting the requirements that the public school district’s curriculum was imposing on me…even though many of these practices rivaled what I was learning was best for students! It felt like I was running in circles and never making meaningful progress. The curriculum and administration squelched any creativity or authentic learning opportunities that I was so good at fostering within my classroom. Problem-based learning and STEM approaches were on the distant horizon and unfamiliar to those overseeing the work I did in my classroom. One Sunday afternoon, as I was procrastinating grading/planning and in a funky mood, I tore a piece of paper while working on a craft project. My wife’s face lit up and she said, “Do that again! It brought that spark back to your eyes!” So I started ripping paper and giggling and putting the pieces together to create something new. I inked the edges and smudged blobs of paint and scribbled with markers. Little did I know then that this was my first interaction with mixed media collage art.
My mom has always been crafty and experimented with different methods (fabric, paper, stamping, Cricut). She started doing craft shows around this same time so I would meet at her kitchen table to help her prepare for the upcoming shows. She encouraged me to try my own creations in a show. The Bloomington High School is only a block from my house so it seemed to be an obvious place to start. That first show was full of excitement and when people actually liked and bought my creations, I was flabbergasted! My wife, Emily, and I decided to gave it a name, buy business cards (which I had a misspelled word on so we had to cut them which is why they were unique in size) and went to some more craft shows. The name was also a tribute to my crafting time with my mom at her kitchen table and to my grandma because she could make the bad disappear when we visited at her kitchen table and shared a cup of coffee. It felt like creating things from kitchen table was making all the bad disappear so it was a perfect name!
As we worked under the name “our kitchen table creations,” we were requested to be the resident artist at Kelly’s Bakery and Café in Downtown Bloomington. We enjoyed sharing creations in monthly shows and hosting First Fridays throughout our ten years at the café. During this time, I also worked on a blog inconsistently and was able to share some recipes and other things that were bringing me joy. Our modest blog was a source of joy for me as I shared my favorite things from my own kitchen table.
We never really viewed this side hustle as a business because everything I made from my art sales went into my classroom to fund everything I wanted to provide for my students but were above the limited classroom funds provided. If you are a teacher, or love a teacher, you know! Student A needs a coat, Student B doesn’t every have enough to eat, Student C needs a comfortable (and clean) blanket to take a nap with on Monday morning because their weekend was so chaotic, Student D needs shoes without holes, Student E took their school supplies home over the weekend but then were whisked away to live with grandparents unexpectedly so you need to get them new supplies, Student F had an awesome idea for a project they want to do so you need to run and the supplies during your lunch so they can see it come to life, Student G just discovered a new author they love so you need more books in your library, Student H…..and it goes on for the entire alphabet! Teaching is emotionally and finically expensive! But so rewarding so we keep coming back, showing up, and showing out for our kids!!!
It was a wonderful ride! That first chapter, with our kitchen table creations, allowed me to implement flexible seating in my classroom and buy all the things I wanted, provided STEM materials for my scientists, keep coats/hat/gloves on my students throughout the winter, buy slow cookers to use for Friday Stew (especially when there was a long weekend), and funded groceries each week to keep my little ones filled up. Art therapy was a real thing for me and the creations helped keep me balanced. The time was finally catching up with the research that I had done during my master’s program and importance was being given to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) so I was called on to lead professional development in my district and region. As I worked with more and more teachers, I was wondering how I could impact the most teachers. Where were new teachers going to learn?
During this time, I was a volunteer softball pitching coach for a local high school. Spring days were packed full but being out on the field allowed me to give back to students in another way that I really needed in my life. However, in March 2018, we lost a student-athlete in a tragic car accident. Livi, the player that we lost, was larger than life. She was passionate and loved with her entire soul. As I grieved, and guided those high school girls through that impossible spring, I kept being floated this phrase, “Are you living life like Livi with the biggest ripple possible?” The answer for me in that moment was no. I knew I wanted to teach at the university and work with future teachers but I saw that as a “retirement” goal or job. However, why wait? Why wait twenty more years to do something I wanted to do so badly? Would Livi wait? No, no she would not!
In May, I met with a friend about moving to Illinois State University to teach future teachers. By the end of May, I had interviewed with two departments and was offered positions with both. It was a whirlwind to get my classroom packed up…almost twenty years at the same school means you acquire a lot of things! I started work that June on my doctoral degree and learned how to write syllabi and plan for college courses. That first year was amazing! The 2018-2019 school year had me wondering if I was coming or going as I completed seven courses towards my advanced degree and I taught with the most incredible mentors. The opportunity to do research and present at conferences with talented professors was more than I could have ever dreamed I would be doing. As the 2019-2020 school year began, I was on target to complete my course work for the doctoral degree while teaching six classes per semester. I was still able to get in my studio on Sundays and kept the walls at at the Café stocked with new creations. Even though the cafe had changed owners, I was still providing art for the walls. Life was running faster than I could keep up….
Just like the rest of the world, 2020 brought big changes into our lives. The pandemic closed the café where we were showcasing our pieces. This closure for “our kitchen table creations” was also timely because I entered the fight of my life at that same time. My diagnosis of lymphoma, a cancer that was attacking my organs and bones and blood, took me off my feet in December 2019 and then 2020 was spent undergoing chemotherapy, complications from the cancer, surgeries, more chemotherapy, many days and nights in the hospital, and so many hours in a treatment chair. (I like how I summed that all up in one sentence. You might be wondering more about that part of the story, so know that I am working through how to tell it.)
As remission was achieved and I started to regain my strength, my creativity kept me sane. My art bag was filled with different items from my studio and I created small collages in journals and as cards. In Spring 2021, I was able to teach one course online and being with the students on Zoom filled my soul. For my physical therapy that spring, I walked from the car to the softball field each day. It was a big goal and we had made plans for driving me there in case I could not make the long walk…but I made that walk every day. Some days I could even cheer and walk around the field and coach…other days I sat in a chair taking deep breaths and being glad to be alive and outside. Healing was full of mountains and valleys and I never knew what to expect from day to day. Being with my student-athletes, though our season was shorter starting in April instead of March, gave me the motivation to get up and take those difficult steps each day. My strength was returning and the brain fog from chemotherapy was beginning to lift.
It took awhile to get back into my studio because I could only do so many flights of stairs a day. Since my studio is in the basement, and I still needed to be “spotted” on the stairs, getting there was far and few between. The final surgery in my healing process was in June 2021 and then the next week we had a flood in our basement. With help from lots of friends and family, we were able to clear out my studio and save some things from the rain water. Emily (with the help of her brother and our friends) rebuilt my studio better than it was before and I love being in my newly designed and organized space.
As you know, one does not just “finish” treatment and all is well in the cancer world. Though remission was achieved, and I so grateful for that, we still lived with bloodwork and doctor’s appointments and physical therapy and dealing with the mental and emotional abuse that cancer causes. So I again turned to art to help me to process my thoughts and feelings. I cried and painted. I sang and drew. I allowed myself time and space to feel all the stages of grief and find my way back to “okay”.
Thank you for being on this journey with us! I am so grateful that you are here. This next chapter is going to be so wonderful and I’m glad we get to share it with you!
mindful art by mw 