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.

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.

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.

… 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…

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.

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.

Like many of us, Army spouse and painter Melissa Hedges is finding her new normal in a time with closed galleries. She not letting the restricted access to showings stop her from creating, though. Melissa is setting goals and keeping positive.

Frequent PCSing often leaves military spouses no option other than putting careers on hold for the short-term or even long-term. Mil spouse photographer Meredith Ryncarz has developed a way to keep her business going from move to move, with strategies that help her establish new clients/bookings before she has reached the new duty station. With so many mil spouses going through the same career frustrations, Meredith shares these strategies to help other mil spouse creative business owners.

Army spouse Christy Tremblay’s mixed-media art is the perfect metaphor for a multi-textured, multi-layered military life. As mil-spouses, we often don’t know where life is taking us next as we evolve with each new place and experience, and all of those unexpected places and experiences become layers that shape us into the people we never knew we could be. There is beauty in all that layering and evolution, in the unforeseen and in adaptation. Christy Tremblay’s unexpected journeys leads us to magical gardens and dream-like landscapes; they are places that celebrate.

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.