Being a military spouse has also given me the opportunity to see different cultures, and environments that I have been able to derive inspiration from. Whether that is other potters or new landscapes, I find inspiration in all of it. Through pottery, I have formed great friendships throughout the world and these friendships inspire me.

Cassie & Patrick Garber are partners in their life and their creative work. As an active military family, they share their love of reading and their pups in their latest book, The Littlest Hound.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Adapting to frequent relocations has presented both challenges and learning opportunities, especially since I am not accustomed to moving so frequently. It's been a period of adjustment and growth as I navigate the unique lifestyle of being a military spouse, embracing change, and learning to build a life in various locations.

New art adventures can begin at any point in life. Melissa Whiteford St. Clair found her voice through poetry after 30 years as a military spouse. This written/spoken artform enables her to promote social advocacy and expose racial injustice.

I worked as a professional actress in London back when I was in my twenties. After 10 years, I decided to change direction and retrained as a teacher. When I was teaching in Singapore, I started directing children’s shows with a great friend of mine, and it took off from there! When I moved here to Panama City, I decided to see if I could continue directing…

… I suppose you could say, I have always been a writer. But my first novel was written more as an exercise to stave off loneliness while my husband was deployed. I have always loved reading — especially a good romance. But I wanted more than just the happily ever after. I wanted some action and adventure, too. So I started writing one drawing from my experiences as an Army wife…

I discovered Surface Pattern Design as a major while I was there, and knew that was what I was meant to do… I never imagined myself as a military spouse. I had always dreamt of working as a designer in NYC… I met my now husband at a friend’s wedding while I was working in New York. He knew the groom from the Naval Academy, and I played field hockey with the bride at Syracuse. We were both from NY/NJ area. We hit it off right away and the rest is history!

Connected to the Air Force since birth, military kid turned military spouse Kaitlyn Lake shares a bit of her life through functional and artistic pottery. In a life whose landscape is ever changing, it's comforting to feel grounded by the lovely earthen pieces.

As writer/Navy Spouse Lynessa Layne shares, life can certainly lead us into unexpected directions, but those strange paths often take us exactly where we need to be.

There is always more to learn and explore, especially when life sends us down unexpected journeys. Milspouse/writer/teacher/caregiver Lee Anne Galloway-Mitchell shares how PCSing, parenthood, Covid, and all sorts of life events can sometimes put a project on hold, but can also bring about new creative adventures.

Sometimes location and life situation determines the medium along with the inspiration. Artist/mil-spouse Devon Wigle teaches us that when your usual resources and/or conveniences aren't available, you can still make art, just in a different way.

Artist/Yogi/mil-spouse Katie Meuse encourages us to make and find joy through art. Keep our eyes and minds open to the who, what and where because, through those mediums, we can discover our passions.

While we all know how PCSing and not getting to choose where we live can put a damper on our careers, having an art that depends on local support requires a whole extra level of determination and hard work. Singer / Space Force spouse Alyssa Ruffin shares how she's managed to keep the music playing.

Oh goodness, no one can truly prepare you for Military life! We’ve been stationed on both coasts, seen things we would’ve normally never gotten a chance to see and shared these experiences with our daughters. The Navy has sent us to Portsmouth, Va, 29 Palms, Ca (this was a greenside stint.), to San Antonio, Tx and now Maryland. To say it’s been a wild ride would be an understatement. In my experience as a military wife, we all know, mental strength is necessary, schedules are constantly changing; everything is the same and yet different, like an odd episode of the Twilight Zone. 

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