Perspective is essential in navigating life as a mil-spouse, and illustrator/watercolorist/naturalist Grace Hart discovers beauty in the least likely places.

Although the pandemic sent my writing into a dry spell, I’ve been productive in other ways. I continue to volunteer with MilspoFAN, which has been wonderful because I love feeling connected to other mil-spouse artists. I also continue to serve as a poetry editor with Inklette Magazine. Not generating new poems gave me ample time to revise and organize previously written poems. I compiled three manuscripts: Forces was published by Middle West Press in the fall of 2021, and the other two manuscripts are looking for homes.

Each time we move, my practice takes a backseat and my work shifts in various ways. This move was especially jarring to my practice. I have had to go through the mourning process of losing my Hawaiian inspiration and I am still working to figure out what my work will look like here. Location changes and motherhood cause my creative practice and business growth to be less linear than I would like.

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.  

2022 has been one of the busiest years of my life, as I have learned many new things and worked with publishers on four upcoming books. As a short recap of who I am: I’m Mirka Hokkanen, a Finnish-American author, illustrator, printmaker and an educator. We’ve been a military family for about 17 years. I started out working as a fine art printmaker from graduate school in 2006, but have transitioned into illustrating for children in the last few years as my main focus.

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.

This year, like every year, has been incredibly busy but in a different way. I have reached a different level in my art business. I have established my name and my reputation; I have a steady base of collectors that garner my time.  I’ve been invited by the British school here at SHAPE to teach art lessons.  I’m the SHAPE Performing Art Center resident artist.  Painting theater stages is new to me. Trust me, painting wood to look like wood is more challenging than one would think.

Last year was a year of creative experimentation for me. A lot of drafting new stories and trying out new art techniques. This year has been about bringing creative projects into reality, or at least closer to reality than they were before.

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.

In military family life, it's been a lifetime with lots of life changes. Summer of 2022 we moved back to the states. Among family and friends, it was no secret how much I was dreading leaving Europe. It was my personal playground for artistic inspiration.

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!

I am navigating my new job as a guest artist/social media person for the Anne Arundel Public School System arts magnet program. I'm still learning all the ins and outs of this job, but I finally feel I have found my ideal position! I'm also riding high after landing an art show through Annapolis Arts Alliance and Art in Public Places in Annapolis.

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.

This past year has been both exciting and challenging. My husband and I departed New York City and settled in beautiful but warm San Antonio! Upon arriving we had our share of challenges both in finding jobs to support our more spacious but still modest apartment. I ended up taking a position at a prominent executive protection firm as an accounts payable specialist.

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.

As creatives, one of the easiest things in the world is to devalue ourselves. Whether you define it as “imposter syndrome,” do not think your talents are worth what you charge, or simply cannot imagine anyone finding value in your art, it is something so many artists fight; especially when it comes to pricing. 

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.