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my art journey

by suzy morris

my art journey began when i was 4 years old

I have vivid memories of drawing on the walls and spending hours being fascinated with images, studying them, and trying to recreate them.  I loved attending art class and at the age of 6, I had my first art piece chosen for the school's Spring Art Show. It was a rendition of Picasso’s Mandolin and Guitar drawn in oil crayon and Indian ink wash.

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My passion for art grew over the years and became my solace during some challenging periods in my childhood.   Art helped me to create and express those thoughts, feelings, and emotions that I could not verbalize helping me to process and release emotional grief, pain, and trauma.  I was incredibly self-aware that the act of creating and expressing myself through art possessed a power to heal the mind, the body, and the soul.  As Picasso once said, “Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.”  For me, art had transformational powers that helped me cope during difficult times.

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this is where my art journey abruptly halted for 12 years...

I pursued my love for art and attended a private high school for a brief time to take advantage of their college preparatory art program with the intention of continuing my studies in college. This is where my art journey abruptly halted for 12 years.  Like many artists, I did not have familial support as being an artist was not seen as a viable career. I was encouraged to pursue a “real” career that provided more stability. I decided to pursue my second love of working with children who struggled with emotional wounding.  I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Development and a Master of Science degree in Family Studies leading me to practice as a Child and Family Therapist.

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In 2002, I was enjoying all the creative aspects of designing and building my home. To my surprise, this reignited my fire and passion to start painting with an intensity that I could not ignore.  I had a very stable and successful career as a therapist which allowed me to, on a whim with no formal art training or experience, open an art business. In 2003, La Bella Decorative Finishes was born. It grew very quickly allowing me to quit my full-time job as a therapist to paint and raise my two boys. The success of my art business afforded me opportunities to showcase my work in home shows, to write design articles, to have artwork published, and to participate as the artist designing and painting decorative finishes and artistry on walls and ceilings for a lifestyle television show.

i had a vision of a new business idea that incorporated my love of art and my passion to help people heal

In 2011 during one of my painting meditations, I had a vision of a new business idea that incorporated my love of art and my passion to help people heal emotional wounds using artistic and therapeutic modalities. That very same week, I was walking down a city street, and on the window of a vacant building was a small paper sign advertising the recruitment of a therapist with art experience to work with adults diagnosed with severe mental illness and children diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders. How incredibly serendipitous!  I immediately applied and was hired to be their program Administrator for the Adult and Youth Programs utilizing art, music and movement improve and enhance mental and emotional well-being.

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Fast forward to 2022, Soul Fit Art was born from the culmination of my own healing journey and more than 20 years of experience as a therapist and artist, along with a lifelong connection to movement, embodied practices, and the healing power of nature. My personal experience has inspired me to guide and support others in exploring the unconscious mind, to uncover, release and heal the impacts of mental, emotional, and physical wounding through creative expression and embodied practices. Come join me on a journey of self-exploration and creative expression!

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