MY STORY
I'M LAURA & I BELIEVE KNOW THAT... ART & CREATIVITY HEALS.
My name is Laura Miller and I am an artist, maker and nurse. I believe know that art and creativity heals and that we can use our creativity to improve our lives.
My “Art For Your Health” Story
In November, 2009 I donated a kidney to my brother only to find out a year and a half later that I had kidney cancer in my remaining kidney. Although my prognosis was favorable, it changed my life forever. I took stock of my life deciding to quit my job as a cancer research nurse and focus on my health. Not only have I worked and continue to work on diet and exercise but also my art and creativity.
Amazingly, this time has been the most incredibly creative time of my life. Feeling as though I have nothing to lose (except NOT do what’s on my bucket list) I’ve been creating, painting (my first love) and working on my web presence. This work has been what kept me going. When working creatively I lose myself to the process and moment giving me a mental break not otherwise possible.
Turning A Negative Into A Positive
As part of growing my web presence, I began a series of blog posts called “Art for Your Health” where I linked to web articles on the subject. To my surprise, this series were my most popular posts and gave me the idea to expand on “creative healing”…using nursing in a different way!
Getting My Spark Back
There were many ways in which I used/use creativity to “get my spark back”. I took photography walks to document what inspires me. I tried new recipes (I was also diagnosed with Celiacs). I tried new painting techniques. I created décor for my home. I infused creativity in everything I did. The variety of projects on my blog are ones that I actually did and have an expressive meaning with each one of them.
My insight is not a substitute for medical intervention nor is it research based but can be a lesson in how creativity can be used in everyone’s daily life. Just like your health and wellness, “Creative wellness” is a continuous process not a point in time. We all have had difficult times in our life and working creatively can help us in ways we may not realize.