I’ve mentioned before that I’m a Reiki Master and how I infuse healing energy into my paintings, hoping they resonate with those who connect with them. But I haven’t gone into much detail about this part of my process—something I’d like to explain.
When I paint, energy work plays as big a role as my artistic abilities. My intuition guides me just as much as my training when I’m choosing colors or even deciding what to create. But sometimes I don’t rely on it as much as I would like to admit.
As I mentioned this piece was inspired by a heart-shaped cloud I happened to notice and photograph. When I started the painting, I had envisioned a loosely formed heart shape. When I started the painting, I imagined a soft, loosely formed heart. But as I worked on it, nothing felt right.
First, there was this awkward hole in the heart—well, that didn’t feel very loving. So, I filled it in, but then it looked way too perfect—almost cartoony. My next attempt was looser, but it didn’t even look like a heart anymore! I tried again, too perfect and again but this version looked like a broken heart.
Frustrated doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt at this point. I was ready to wipe it clean and start over when I decided to step back, let go, and trust my intuition. I ditched the reference photo entirely and gave it one more shot. Ironically, it still ended up looking like a perfect heart—but somehow, this time, it felt right.
I shared it on my Facebook business page. That’s when something incredible happened.
I received a message from my friend Mikki, and what she shared gave me chills. Mikki lost her daughter in the summer of 2023. She told me she asked for a sign—something clear and unmistakable—a heart-shaped cloud. When my painting appeared in her feed, it arrived in perfect, divine timing.
Mikki wrote a heartfelt testimonial about the comfort this painting brought her.
After my daughter passed, I found myself struggling to feel connected to her despite feeling I had received a few signs. I was losing faith and questioning everything. I sat in her room crying and I asked her to send me a really clear sign so I’d know for sure she was there. I asked for a heart in the clouds. The day passed, and while I saw a few clouds in somewhat of a heart shape, I said they weren’t clear enough, I needed a perfect heart. The next day I opened Facebook, and the very first post was from my friend Laurie who had released a new painting for her business – was a heart in the clouds painting. A perfect heart. That was my sign. It was the most comforting and warm feeling – a hug from my baby girl.
This experience was a huge reminder of why I do what I do. Knowing my work brought her some peace affirmed that I’m on the right path. My goal has always been for my art, cards, and gifts to uplift others, and this moment felt like validation.
Oh, and before receiving Mikki’s message, I had already begun sketching my next piece, inspired by her daughter, Whispers of Love.
These moments of connection remind me that even in grief, there’s beauty to be found if we stay open to it—hope, faith, and love are always there, waiting to be found when we open ourselves to it.
