How it Started

It all began with an Instagram profile. This is original post that began @paintofheart:

“Hi hello.

After many months of deliberation, I decided to open another Instagram account… an account solely devoted to my artwork and the process of creating it.

Here is the brief story…

I grew up with a crayon, marker, brush, or pencil always in hand. Quite often, the first words out of my mouth in the morning were, “Mom, what should I draw?” Crafts, school projects, art class, and a household full of art supplies… no wonder that being creative was routine. I continued to take art classes all through senior year of high school. Piece after piece, critique after critique, year after year.

But then, I stopped.

College and medical school took the reins of my life. Sure, I would occasionally pick up oil paint or charcoal, but it was so infrequent that I could no longer consider it a hobby. After all, hobbies are things that you do, not things that you once did. I made more pieces in one single year of high school than I did total for the subsequent eight. Life with all its academic and personal difficulties continued, and my motivation for art was virtually nonexistent. I no longer viewed it as something enjoyable, mindless, or healing. Instead, it was simply a project to be conquered.

Soon enough medical school ended, the pandemic reared its ugly head, and I was in the thick of my first year of residency. An extremely formative time. A thought struck me repeatedly: I can make a choice. I can make a choice to find the time… to MAKE the time… for something that matters to me beyond my career. To doodle. To sketch. To paint.

So here I am, hoping to give you a glimpse into this part of my life. To share some joy. Beauty. Happiness. New things. Old things.

I am not starting this page with any expectations. I am not going to force myself to create. No. All I hope is for art to be a more consistent presence in my life and to share a bit of that with the people closest to me.

So… maybe there have been a few empty years… but I’m happy to now say #betterpaintthannever

Welcome to @paintofheart”