You’re not alone, there are more people than you realize who understand your same struggle and feelings. There are so many people (like me) who care and will listen with so much love for you. Those who care for loved ones with a mental illness, be a light for other families out there who are struggling to understand, share YOUR story. Please, it could save a life, improve a life, bring more love and understanding into a home. Please ????????


This mother has had a tragic loss and she has a powerful statement to share: “…when we hold our anger, our fear, our grief, our sorrow…when we hold our stories inside, they make our hearts sick. Those feelings left unsaid for too long or too many times, they will poison our heart and eventually our minds to the point it proves fatal…ending in suicide. Feelings of that nature are not meant to stay in the dark. Satan does his best work in the dark, he is most effective in the dark. Every time we choose to give a sincere and truthful voice to our hurt and release the pain by telling our story to a parent or counselor or teacher or leader or trusted healthy friend, it’s a dose of antibiotics for the heart. It wards off sickness. Don’t keep secrets about the way you feel. Sometimes all that is needed is for us to be able to share our story and have someone look into our eyes and say, “I see you. I hear you. I feel what you are saying. Now I have a little bit of your story and I will hold it for you so it isn’t so heavy and you aren’t carrying it alone anymore.” .” — Leanne Payne Tressler

Please read her full post on Facebook here…

About the Artist

I am an advocate first, and an artist second. My paintings create visual comfort-- spaces where grief, hope, and healing can live together without apology...

I paint what matters most: the people you cherish, the moments that shaped you, the feelings that need witness. Through art, your most precious memories move outside of you and into your home, where they can be held, seen, and never forgotten.

My work is rooted in three commitments: honoring the experiences of indigenous communities and the history of the land we inhabit; creating safe space for children and women whose voices have been silenced; and recording the honest truth of lived experience-- both my own and that of those who came before me. I believe art has the power to tell stories that words alone cannot, and to preserve what must not be lost or forgotten. I believe that all that we know about ourselves is because Art has preserved those stories throughout history, outliving those who created it.

When you encounter my work, I hope you find yourself in it-- not as escape, but as recognition. I hope it reminds you that your feelings matter, that your story deserves to be held, and that compassion and truth are still worth carrying forward.

Art is the voice that speaks honestly through the heart. 💝🪷