This month we learn all about singer-songwriter Cara McCann and her work. Her warm personality will surely thaw you out if you're experiencing the crazy cold sweeping the US this week. For Cara, music is a personal expressive outlet, as well as a passion she shares with her family. Cara, a new mom on the verge of a big move, is a burst of enthusiasm who is eager to take on a challenge- from auditioning for The Voice, or submitting her work to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, to singing show tunes at a Hungarian strudel bakery.

This month, I sit down (virtually) with watercolor painter, Nancy Murphree Davis. Nancy’s gorgeous work speaks for itself, but we are lucky enough to learn a bit more about the techniques behind her paintings. Nancy also shares how she connects with other artists and communities and finds inspiration at each new duty station.

In this month’s MilspoFAN Artist Interview, Lisa tells us all about her work - how she became a poet, what her poetry means to her and her family, how she nurtures her creative work, and how she stays actively involved in poetry communities despite regular moves. In her poetry collection, Uniform (Aldrich Press 2016), Lisa unwraps her military spouse experience with a steadfast dedication to authenticity.

Artistic practice has a centering effect of artists of all disciplines and all skill levels. This month, let’s get to know ballet dancer Carrie Cassidy. Carrie shares with us how ballet has served as a balancing force throughout her life- during her time in ROTC and active duty Air Force, as a military spouse, and now as a new mother...

How did Roxanne Steed go from a Medical Record Administration major in college, to a water and oil alchemist teaching workshops in Ireland and France? Roxanne Steed, oil painter, watercolorist, writer, and teacher, has some answers for military spouse artists. From making the most of heartbreaking moves, to allowing the role of painting in her life to evolve through the different seasons of her life, Roxanne reflects on her career so far as a painter.

Please forgive the mixed up metaphor when I tell you that reading through Carrie’s words was as refreshing, like an aloe balm to my summer-burned brain, as my dish of dippin’ dots tasted at the end of that sweltering day at the zoo. Carrie is a freelance stage director and professor of theatre, so most of her work is ephemeral- but I am adding seeing one of her productions to my bucket list, and I can’t wait to track her down. Carrie is a force of creativity, flexibility, and determination.

This month I had the opportunity to get to know Amanda Shields, Adventure and Travel photographer, and what drives Amanda’s creative work. Amanda’s stories of travel shine through both her writing and her photographs. Just take a look at her answer when I asked about her favorite places and you will get a taste for the long list of stunning experiences she has achieved.

Anna is a dancer, and she is one of those people that embodies every beautiful image that the word invokes- impassioned, twirling, loving, vivid, young of heart, wise of soul. I can’t wait to dance with her again the next time our paths intersect.

Becky Hepinstall Hilliker is an historian, Navy wife, mother of four, and author. Sisters of Shiloh, which she co-wrote with her sister Kathy, is the story of two sisters who disguise themselves as men in order to join the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

When I was first conceptualizing MilspoFAN, I spent some time randomly Googling the arts and military spouses. I remember coming across Carrie’s work and being blown away by the vivid beauty in her watercolor paintings of everyday objects. I put her name in a file, intending to write a cold email asking her if she was interested in participating in MilspoFAN.

I have a lovely treat of an interview for you today!

Nicole Dufield is an amazingly strong, spirited singer in the Hampton Roads, VA area.

Maria is a military spouse and painter who specializes in portraits. She blogs consistently about her work and her process. She is a warm, joyful woman and I’ve felt privileged to get to know her a bit through her blog, our emails, and this interview. For me, her story reads as an inspiration about how important our work as artists is to honoring and reconciling our intertwined identities of “dependent” and “independent”. Spoiler alert: Maria didn’t start painting until later in her life, but she now seems to be making up for lost time by practicing her art consistently and consciously building an artistic team of support.

Victoria Kelly is an author, a poet, and a military spouse. I had the great pleasure of meeting her when I lived in Virginia. She is warm, open, and her enthusiasm is infectious. Two of her recent publications are When the Men Go Off to War, a collection of poetry inspired by her experiences as a military wife, and Mrs. Houdini, a story blendingmagical realism and historical fiction about Bess, wife of the famous magician Harry Houdini. You can check out her website http://www.victoriakellybooks.com/ for more information about her work.