Why I Create: The Moment That Changed Everything

Last week, I said goodbye to 11 pieces of my Free 2 Be Me series as they headed to the Joan Hisaoka Gallery at the Inova Schar Cancer Center. It felt like sending kids off to college—bittersweet, thrilling, and a little surreal.

But what happened next will stay with me forever.

While dropping off postcards at the gallery on Friday, I met a woman—quiet, kind, and visibly anxious. She was a patient awaiting tests. We chatted. She looked at the art. And then she told me that something had shifted for her. That she felt a little more hopeful. A little more calm and less fearful.

She hugged me. And as she walked away my eyes filled with tears.

I’ve always believed in the power of art. But this moment cemented it: our work matters. Not just to us, but to the people who meet it in the wild.

Art isn’t just self-expression—it’s a light for others when theirs feels dim.

I don’t believe in accidents. I believe we are meant to cross paths with people who change us—and sometimes, we get to be that change for someone else.

Art Changes Everything.

If you’re local, I hope you’ll join me for my Artist Reception & Talk on June 20 at 4:30 PM (talk at 5 PM) at the Joan Hisaoka Gallery. Can’t make it? I’ll be going live on Instagram so you can tune in from wherever you are.

And if this story moved you, I’d love it if you shared it. I’m working to grow this beautiful little corner of the internet where art, truth, and connection live side by side.

Let’s keep lifting each other up.

With gratitude and joy, Precious