Maker/creative/mil-spouse Emily Ullo Steigler carries many skills in her tool belt, but her most important one is not being afraid to venture into a new creative endeavor.  

I started doing Digital Art because I was bored. We were stationed in Fort Wainwright, and it was our first winter. As some people may know, it gets extremely cold in Alaska during the winter months, and there isn’t always a lot you can do outside when it’s -60 degrees. I had no idea what to do with myself, so I picked up my tablet and just started browsing through my app recommendations. I found a few free art apps and decided, having nothing better to do, to give them a try.

Entrepreneur/designer/creator/Army-spouse Stefanie Woods-Weakley is all about making people's lives simpler. Especially around the holidays (maybe you even have a spouse deployed right now or you're PCSing), who doesn't need a little simplification right now? You can find some help in Stefanie's designs and creations.

A desire to capture his family's travel experiences led watercolor artist/graphic designer Matt Valverde to create artwork and graphic designs. Matt embraces mistakes, practices resilience in the face of resistance, and enjoys connecting with community members both at home and in travel - all habits that further cultivate his creative work. We hope Matt's story will inspire you to create something too!

This month's artist/Army spouse, Katherine Rodgers, uses every location and experience as a classroom. From friends, family, history, environment,...there is always something new to learn, inspiration for new ideas, and the possibility of new opportunities.

Multi-medium-artist/writer/illustrator/Navy spouse Kimberly Yong Ratliff creates art and stories inspired by the multi-layered cultures around her and the beautiful landscapes she's visited. Embracing the Ohana spirit, each new place (or even virtual connection) offers opportunities for friendships and sharing.

Sarah Doran, author and military children’s book creator, has experienced almost every side of military life- from growing up as a military child, to her time as a Blackhawk helicopter mechanic, and currently as a veteran and military spouse. Sarah found her true passion for writing with the help of a good friend's advice - which inspired her to create stories for and about military children.

Called by nature, love, and art,  nature and wildlife artist Brittany Montour exemplifies bravely following your own heart. Where does it lead? To joy, beauty, and adventure, of course!

Air Force spouse and writer Valerie J. Frey serves up some fantastic organizational tips for archiving research and notes, balancing multiple artistic genres, and accomplishing goals/deadlines.

Army spouse and mixed-media artist Beth Robson celebrates inspiring women in her art and takes us on a journey of the pitfalls and friendships of overseas duty in her interview.

Spring is the time of new beginnings, and so it is fitting that our spring interview introduces you to Sculptor/Photographer/Multi-Media artist Sarah Thompson. When you find yourself lost in a creative desert, take an adventure to learn something new. It might just turn out to be your passion.

Jennifer Geletzke talks layers with us- layers of life, landscape, faith, and artistic media - blending, diverging, calling. If you've felt the call to create, even after a pause, Jennifer has inspiring work and words of wisdom to share.

For Army-spouse/photographer Chandra Pinger, her art unites her with other military families. After a PCS, photography can be a tether to connect with a new place and its people.

This month, meet Air Force spouse CJ Yeats whose interests involve both hemispheres of the brain: research, neuroscience, copy editing, graphic design, and writing. Catherine shares how they have been busy creating comic books that merge science and fantasy while celebrating the wonder of the unknown.

Painter and Army spouse Krista Carlberg Litz of KCLStudio teaches us that including art in our daily lives not only maintains creativity, but also boosts the spirit.

When life throws you a pandemic, a stage actor finds other ways to be creative. When Air Force spouse Nancy Stange found herself forced into a hiatus, she retained her humor and made sure she didn't lose that creative edge.

Air Force Spouse Amra Graff goes with the flow in her military life and with her artwork. Amra creates organic, emotive art pieces that reflect the fluidity of the transformations we go through with each PCS and each new experience.

With dancer and Air Force spouse Julie Mulvihill's love of process, she resiliently 'choreographs' ways to work and create from anywhere in the world and during the pandemic. Plus, her love story is so adorable that I think it could be made into a movie.

Writer and military spouse Kimberlee Bethany Bonura, Ph.D., MFA, E-RYT, CYT, knew at a young age that she was meant to write. She also learned from her mother that achieving goals in adulthood often requires going against the odds. We, too, can create and thrive in "the shadows of military service," with a whole heck of a lot of determination.

Artist and Army spouse Victoria Page Miller finds adventure and inspiration in the unknown. Like the comic book characters she currently paints, Victoria bravely says, Unpredictable Future, show me what you got, and I'll meet you with a new creation.