These last two years have been a giant learning curve, with tons of mistakes  made along the way. With my second book being published later this fall and  several promising ventures ahead, I’m grateful to have given myself grace in the  missteps and for the confidence I’ve gained from the mistakes.

When you’re not “from” anywhere, how do you ever find a place where you truly “belong”? 

Army spouse and Polymer Clay Artist Bryana Mariko Manzano-Balilio reminds us that creating should always stay true to what brings us joy, and it is something that moves with us and grows with us through all the PCSes and beyond active-duty family life.

It always feels refreshing and brings a renewed sense of excitement to get busy with client work, as I truly believe creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised through different mechanisms. While cooking may seem like a far cry from photography in the sense of creative mediums, I have found that creating in and of itself spawns more ability and desire to create!...

This was just the project I needed to break me out of my post-graduation funk- It had been months since I created anything much more than an imprint on the couch cushions…

Balancing the creative work with our military life doesn’t go away, but hopefully we can give ourselves grace when things slide for a while.

With flexibility and talent, Martha Wingfield has pursued a multifaceted career while traveling the globe as a military spouse. By making room for her true passion - singing - Martha joyfully performs and teaches her way through multiple moves.

I ended up dragging all my art supplies up from the basement and sorting them.  I wrote a long but deeply satisfying journal entry listing each pursuit—and honestly exploring what was attractive about it as well as what caused me to lose interest.  As I wrote, I suddenly saw how I’d been craving something non-messy that involved pleasing color and texture but that didn’t strain my hands, eyes, or budget…

This coming year, may we experience the joy of breathing, may we be authentic enough to find our tribe, surround ourselves with those who value bravery over perfection, and dive deep into our craft to see what is possible. 

I did theatre all through high school, and when it came time to head to college and pick a major, there was no other choice for me. I graduated armed with that theatre degree, then I headed straight to NYC where I auditioned and worked until I got married. I managed to keep a toe in the theatre world through all the moves - teaching, directing local shows, sometimes having to establish my own classes on post. It wasn’t easy, but I tried to stay involved.

Living in Fairbanks, Alaska was such a great experience and I learned a lot about myself and the direction I wanted to take with my art. I was so grateful to be a part of the Tanana Valley Farmers Market, many local events and having my work displayed at a local brewery. One of my favorite accomplishments was creating a new art collection. This body of work expressed my personal struggles with anxiety, living in Alaska during the pandemic and brought awareness to the effects of winter on people in the Far North.

"The Sacrifice" tells the story of a Military family, from a Military Spouse point of view. It is a direct reflection of my life, and based on real life events as a military spouse.

My brain has been very preoccupied with raising twins and it’s already overloaded with just being a mom and the continuous responsibilities of running a household. Learning something brand new was just not in the cards for me right now. It was important for me to take a step back. I decided to scratch all the new projects and start over with projects that come easy to me and use up some fabric from my stash. During the Christmas holiday I took up embroidery again and completed this stocking for one of my twins. This was an easy project that took just about a week to complete.

This month we are interviewing Army spouse Colleen Arnold. She found a jackpot career as a voice over artist. It’s mobile, creative, and it pays well! Let’s find out how she went from musical theater, to arts management, to booking a national commercial.

I had lost my favorite person in the world, my Grandma of 95 years young. I owe all of my fiber arts career to her, in fact. She's the one who taught me to crochet, embroidery and sewing techniques. My go to person for everything. We used to enter our county fairs together. This past “Fair Season” was very quiet and sad. In the past we would call multiple times a day for weeks on updates, how we had butterflies of excitement about the items we entered and who won what in each fair category. Such wonderful and loving memories.

Many weeks, [my art] gets shoved to the side as other things take precedence. I have let the business side of my practice fall away for now. It has been a hard year of mourning my time to create, but also seeing the fruit of my child rearing. T

I can't believe it's already been a year since my article came out! I dubbed 2023 my "Yes" year when it came to my small art business and it did not disappoint. I tried things I've never done before, like selling my items on consignment, teaching watercolor classes and running small business meet ups with other like minded military spouses here on Kadena AB. I met and exceeded goals that I thought I wouldn't see for a couple of years still and I just feel so excited to see what the future holds!

Art is not just a way to express emotions, but a way to embrace the positive and combat the negative. We mil-spouses know how military life disrupts the status quo, and our kiddos can sometimes internalize their feelings about that disruption. Art serves as a release and a constant, no matter the locale. Our kiddos paint their dreams, write words of courage, dance out frustration, meditate through music…

For March, we say hello to spring and to painter/Army-spouse Vanessa Osmon. Mil-spouses are no strangers to change, and that change can sometimes make us reluctant to start new projects, but Vanessa found a way to embrace that change and upheaval and turn it into an artistic project.

When asked to give an update on my past year, the word reminisce comes to mind - and all of the past years seemed to gather into this one.