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Tag: I was a promiscuous teen

Four Reasons to Speak Your Truth, No Matter What Others Think

I wish I had learned this lesson when I was in my teens, or twenties, or earlier in my thirties for that matter.  The fact is the damage that I inflicted upon myself by not speaking my truths, was FAR WORSE than the damage that anyone else’s opinion ever inflicted upon me.  I was my own bully.  I allowed the infinite “what if” scenarios to be the decision makers. 

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Tags: a letter, abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, contemporary art, depression, Expectations, faith, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, I was a promiscuous teen, inspiration, loneliness, love yourself, negative thinking, reclaimed hearts, speak your truth, tortured artist, truth bombs, west coast artist

How Speaking My Truth Reduced My Anxiety Level by Half

I was talking to my friend, and I told her about how feeling better is great and my temptation during these high times is to announce, “ALL FIXED!” to the world and move on with my life in a permanent state of bliss and peace.  But in the back of my head, I know it’s a cycle.  I know there will be another down swing at some point.  Then I thought…does there have to be? 

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, artist, contemporary art, creative, depression, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, hearts, I was a promiscuous teen, inspiration, love yourself, metoo, negative thinking, reclaimed hearts, tortured artist, west coast artist

How My Anxiety Strategies Are Saving Me Both Reactively and Proactively

I know that my feelings are my feelings, and they come from me.  At the same time, I know that not all of my feelings are the truth, and I can call them out as false if I just engage in a little conversation with them.  Sometimes, I find both truth and false in the feeling, but then I can decide what to do based on that distinction, rather than based on an overblown and sometimes imaginary feeling. Cool, huh?

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Tags: a letter, abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art therapy, contemporary art, depression, faith, fear, fear and art, Feminist, forward momentum, Gratitude, hearts, I was a promiscuous teen, inner critic, love yourself, meditation, mindfulness, negative thinking, ocean art, reclaimed hearts, surf art, whale art

Be a Lighthouse: How I Protest Every Day

Since my rant last week, I’ve been thinking… I was at my wits end, throwing my hands up in the air and waving them like…well…like I care.  I have a ton of care in my heart, as I think many of us do.  We are not ok with watching our country’s shit show from the side lines but maybe we’re not quite sure what we can do, what difference we can actually make, and exactly how to go about making it. 

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, artist, be of service, Community, community service, contemporary art, creative, depression, faith, fear, fear and art, Feminist, forward momentum, Gratitude, I was a promiscuous teen, inspiration, love yourself, metoo, mixed media, negative thinking, Open letter to men, pacific northwest, process, reclaimed hearts, Sexual Education, teach your daughters, Teach your sons, tortured artist, west coast artist

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and I Have ALL the Emotions

After ten days of solo travel, one hell of a podcast interview, and once again being contacted by many sexual trauma survivors, I am feeling free, sad, compassionate, burdened, happy, grateful, and like I need more coffee. 

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, be of service, Community, community service, contemporary art, creative, depression, fear, fear of failure, Feminist, forward momentum, Gratitude, hearts, I was a promiscuous teen, inner critic, inspiration, loneliness, love yourself, metoo, negative thinking, Open letter to men, reclaimed hearts, sexual assault awareness month, Sexual Education, teach your daughters, Teach your sons, tortured artist, west coast artist

Marigny Goodyear on The Mental Illness Happy Hour

I would like to give a HUGE shout out and thank you to Paul Gilmartin for having on his podcast, The Mental Illness Happy Hour.  The segment is called, "Trading Sex for Love", and we discuss my essay, I Was a Promiscuous Teen: An Open Letter to All the Men from My Past, including sex, objectification, consent, alcoholism and many more totally uncomfortable topics.  Paul is a generous listener and wonderful interviewer and his podcast can make me laugh and cry within the same 30 seconds.  Download the Mental Illness Happy Hour app or listen on the website: 
https://mentalpod.com/archives/5168.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, artist, contemporary art, creative, depression, fear, fear and art, Feminist, forward momentum, Gratitude, I was a promiscuous teen, inspiration, love yourself, meditation, metoo, negative thinking, Sexual Education, sobriety, tortured artist, west coast artist

How Trying New Things is a Great Way to Discover More About Our Fear

I am hosting my very own art sale this weekend.  I've never done this on my own before.  I've have shows and participated in holiday sales at galleries, restaurants and interior design firms and found that shows are...well...um...difficult for me. 

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art as business, art therapy, artist, creative, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, I was a promiscuous teen, love yourself, negative thinking, tortured artist, west coast artist

Forgiveness, Acceptance, and the Crazy Path to Getting There

Two weeks ago, I shared my biggest secret with the world, and a change has occurred within me.  I feel different. I look in the mirror and I look different to myself.  I'm not sure I can give this change a name, but I can give you a few examples of what's happening:

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Tags: a letter, abstract painting, anxiety, art therapy, depression, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, I was a promiscuous teen, inner critic, love yourself, metoo, negative thinking, Open letter to men, Sexual Education, teach your daughters, Teach your sons, tortured artist, west coast artist

Reclaiming My Broken Heart

My blog post, I Was A Promiscuous Teen: An Open Letter to All the Men from My Past (see below) has gone viral, and the response has been intense. We need to keep talking, sharing our secrets and burdens.  I truly feel as though I have reclaimed my heart and my power, and I no longer feel terrified of this part of my past. 

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Tags: anxiety, art therapy, depression, fear, fear and art, forward momentum, Gratitude, I was a promiscuous teen, meditation, metoo, negative thinking, west coast artist

I Was A Promiscuous Teen: An Open Letter to All the Men From My Past

From the time I was 13 on, I was a promiscuous teen. 

I’d like to say that at some point I learned from my mistakes, but after listening to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's testimony during the Kavanaugh hearings, my past came barreling back into the forefront of my brain and it is clear to me that the behaviors I learned in my teens never really ended.  They went with me into my 20s, 30s, my marriage, how I parented my daughter.  It’s all right there in front of me now.  Like a glaring light that I just realized has been on and blinding me my whole life. 

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Tags: art therapy, Feminist, I was a promiscuous teen, love yourself, metoo, Open letter to men, Sexual Education, teach your daughters, Teach your sons