Contributing Artists to the PSL Starter Kit 2024
These artists have heeded our call to artists, and their art has was chosen to be a part of the 3rd Annual PSL Starter Kit program. We proudly feature them and welcome you to learn more about them, explore their art, and see where they draw inspiration in their creative process. They are from all over the USA, from the Florida coast, the Midwest, the South, the Mountain West, to the coast of California.
Kelly Anderson / Deborah “Cade” Rosenberger / Aubrie Bird / Heather Dreadful / Brennan Hussey / Liliana Herrera Gutierrez / Jill Parker / Mya Akins / Farnaz Nadim / TJ Mulvaney | Janna Sue Hurst Steagall
/ Margaret Capellan
What motivates you to make beautiful art? I enjoy creating first for myself and letting my emotions out and second to show others it is OK to have emotions.
What’s your favorite medium to work with? I work with many mediums. My most unique is melted crayon on canvas. I draw directly on the canvas with my less dominant hand as it melts. The heat is controlled by my dominant hand.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others? Amazing and grateful!
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you? So my people have done extremely kind things for me. I once traveled to Africa to tech kids art. I had a very limited amount of money on me. Less than $30 on the way home and all my credit cards were maxed out. I had to check a bag and couldnāt because I did not have the $80. The airline attendant checked my bag for me so that I could travel home.
What is your favorite inspiration quote?
Or a compassionate quote? āWithout Action, there is No traction.ā – K
āIn a World full of Muffins, Be a CUPCAKE.ā-Kiera Anderson
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
My passion for art overlays my passion for making others feel seen, heard, loved and worthy on their journeys. To take what they may see as lonely or misunderstood and show them that they arenāt alone & that growth is always happening.
My biggest motivation for my work is the connectedness we share on this amazing planet. We are connected to the Earth & to Each other so we must tread with kindness and curiosity
What’s your favorite medium to work with? I work mostly in acrylic paint but also occasionally create offerings in the realm of collage, jewelry, and nature inspired (and inclusive) wall art / decor. I enjoy finding things along my path to incorporate into my work such as branches, stones, shells, etc.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others? It fills me with so much joy and happiness to know that my work will be utilized to spread Love and Kindness. There is such a need for others to feel seen, heard and validated on their journeys, and I could not feel more honored and fulfilled to be a part of a project that is doing exactly that.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you? A relevant kindness that comes to mind, is the friend who encouraged me to pursue art. In 2016 they bought me my first set of acrylic paint, some brushes and canvas. I am forever grateful for the support they showed in my desire to be an artist.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
A quote that has always stuck with me and inspired me is this from Arthur OāShaughnessy:
āWe are the the music makers, and We are the dreamers of the dreams. Wandering by lone sea- breakers, and sitting by desolate streams; world-loser and world forsakers on whom the Pale Moon gleams; yet we are the movers and shakers of the world forever it seems.ā
What motivates you to make beautiful art? I think creating is just something that is innate in me. I have been creating since I was a little girl, beautifying and experimenting with ideas are just part of who I am. Art is a great way to express who you are, what you feel, what you’re going through, and what your story is. And we all have a story to tell.
What’s your favorite medium to work with? Watercolor and micron pens are my go to, I am also having a lot of fun with alcohol inks, and I love doing calligraphy with dip pens.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others? I feel incredibly grateful to be able to contribute to the People Spread Love Starter kit. Focusing on things that bring me joy, like art, have helped me tremendously in hard times and helped pull me out of some dark places and I hope my art can help lift someone else in some small way.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you? I have been through some hard things and there are always helper angels that swoop in and just lift in the most amazing ways, I think it would be very hard to narrow it down to just one thing that has been done for me. But I think just being there for someone, being the listening ear, the shoulder to lean on, the meal on a night they need it, just really being in their life and showing you care and are there and are listening is one of the kindest things you can do. Helping them feel seen, heard and cared for.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote? I am actually a quote collector! I have notebooks and notebooks full of them. So it is hard for me to pick a favorite, but one I’ve had on my mind lately is, “Let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion toward others, for everyone is walking their own difficult path.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
I’ve always really liked how bright and vibrant the world can be when the sun hits things just right. Those little moments are what inspire me to keep making art.
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
It’s a tie between watercolor and color pencils.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
I love the idea of this project! A little gift of art can go a long way into inspiring another human to do most amazing things!
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?
After a personal loss, a friend bought me some painted lady caterpillars – watching them become butterflies saved my life at the time and I’ll never forget her.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
If you are going through hell, keep going – Winston Churchill
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
I’m driven to create art to manifest my ideas before they fade away. Sometimes, my urge to materialize a concept is so intense that it feels almost painful until I give it form.
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
Food will always remain my favorite art form. One thing I’m striving to overcome is the feeling of guilt associated with creating art, as mainstream society doesn’t always perceive it as productive. This feeling is unwarranted, but it can still creep in. However, when I’m preparing food, I never experience this guilt because food is a necessity. Therefore, I embrace the opportunity to infuse it with creativity, making it delicious and aesthetically pleasing.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
It brings me happiness and hope. The past few years have been challenging for me, but what has kept me going is the kindness of friends and others. Things are steadily improving for me, and now I’m eagerly anticipating the chance to send that positive energy back into the world. I hope that someone, inspired by my illustration and recipe, decides to prepare a nurturing meal for themselves because they deserve it.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?
I think it’s the accumulation of small gestures that truly matters. For instance, last year, my birthday coincided with Thanksgiving, and we were celebrating with my partner’s cousins. I hadn’t anticipated much acknowledgment, but to my surprise, they had prepared presents and a cake for me. It made me feel incredibly loved and appreciated.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
My favorite quotes are constantly changing. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on this line from Dune, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings obliteration. I will face my fear and I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past… I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
Or a tough love quote from Gordon Ramsey cause I can use it once in a while. Check out his episode of Hot Ones, I found it inspiring haha.
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
One of the things that motivates me to make beautiful art is knowing the impact it creates for those who view it. It touches peoples’ souls, and many have expressed how a part of them feels heard and seen. It means everything to me that my art can bring healing, just as it does for me.
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
My favorite medium to work with is fluid acrylic paints, because you can layer or use them like watercolors. They are easy to blend and dry quickly. They can also go on almost any surface.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
It makes me feel like I am living up to one of my dreams/goals in life, which is to be able to spread healing and love through the use of art. Art is a beautiful tool anyone and everyone can use no matter the skill level, it’s about being able to express what we can’t with words. That is such a beautiful gift we can spread.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?
When I went through a breakup, for the first time I reached out to my immediate family and close friends and told them I was not okay, and they all took turns taking care of me and that’s when I understood the question, āwhat can I do for you?ā and I just needed to he held and not be alone. They all helped put back a heart they did not break. Thatās the kindest thing in my book.
What is your favorite inspiration quote?
It’s between my mantra, āLove and be loved,ā and my classroom expectation, āBe respectful. Be kind. Si no? No digan nada. (If not? Do not say anything-like the phrase āif you have nothing nice to say donāt say anything.ā)
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
As an artist that mainly paints peopleās homes and businesses, I am inspired by the magic of what makes a house a home, and the stories homes hold inside their walls!! I am also motivated to convey themes of mental health and perseverance.
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
My favorite mediums are watercolor and Gouache paint.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
I love seeing the impact that art can make on peopleās lives. I believe art is one of the most powerful ways to convey a message, and this piece in particular will uplift the memory of Kali Randall and her children. Iām honored to have played a part in memorializing her lasting impact on our community.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?
This one is hard to answer, as Iāve been blessed with so many kind people in my life. But Iād have to say that the universe continues to bring kind, generous and empathetic people into my life, which in turn helps me to try and embody all of those qualities as well, and grow to be the best version of myself.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
Not a quote but a poem, which inspires me to keep moving and growing in life:
Keeping Things Whole
BY MARK STRAND
āIn a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.
When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
to fill the spaces
where my bodyās been.
We all have reasons for moving.
I move
to keep things whole.ā
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
Bright color, exploration, the mountains, butterflies, wildflowers, animals, adventures, stars, joy, love, and so much more! I find motivation and inspiration in so many different things and love sharing my version of the world.
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
It depends on my mood! My top two are watercolors and oils, but I also love acrylic and any other medium I get to play with.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
It makes me feel like my heart is bursting with joy and I canāt even contain it. My biggest hope is that my art helps others heal, brings people joy, inspires people, encourages people, and gives them whatever they may need/be seeking in that moment. If my art helps others feel happy then I feel like the world is just that much better.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?
My mom giving up everything to be there for me during a scary health diagnosis when I was a young teen. She stayed with me in childrenās hospital for weeks on end, sleeping on a very uncomfortable cot, and cancelling her dream travel plans to be with me and support me. She also learned how to care for my pic-line and woke up at early hours to be able to do timed injections all while taking care of the rest of our family and her own personal life. She never showed any sign of tiredness, frustration, just pure love and support.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
Pretty much any BrenĆ© Brown quote!! āStop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you donāt belong. You will always find it because youāve made that your mission. Stop scouring peopleās faces for evidence that youāre not enough. You will always find it because youāve made that your goal. True belonging and self-worth are not goods; we donāt negotiate their value with the world. The truth about who we are lives in our hearts. Our call to courage is to protect our wild heart against constant evaluation, especially our own. No one belongs here more than you.ā BrenĆ© Brown
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
My motivation to make art is rooted in my lifelong passion for creativity. However, making art became a big part of my daily life when we moved to the USA and I decided to shift my career from teaching to being a full-time artist. Every time I create a new piece, I feel a sense of joy and growth that keeps me motivated to continue my journey and pursuing my dreams of being a successful artist.
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
My recent illustrations are done completely digitally although I used to work with acrylic paints or gouache and mixed media in the past. I found that I enjoy all of them because what matters most to me is the process of creating that fills me with joy and excitement.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
Being able to brighten someone’s day or bring solace in difficult times is a blessing and It fills every artistās heart and soul with joy and fulfillment when their piece can serve as an emotional boost.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?
Itās hard to pick one as I’m so lucky to have a supportive family, who are always there for me and fill my heart with their endless love and support; and Iām so grateful for having them.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
Henri Matisseās quote that says “Creativity takes courage” is so inspiring to me. It encourages me to face my fears and uncertainties through the process, helps me to embrace imperfection and put my work out there and allows my authentic self to shine through in my art.
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
It usually depend on what ideas comes to my head and how well, if possible, they translate through my art style. Although I’m mostly inclined to simple and adorable drawings, like flowers and animals, I’ll sometimes push myself to creating something a little more complex if I feel the end result will be worth the process. And naturally, I’ll always have music of any kind (more than often instrumental music, like film scores from Ennio Morricone and John Williams) to make the process more soothing and fun.
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
I love to draw using the Paint app on my computer, a method great for my visual style which are usually bright, colorful and cartoonish (a result from growing up on Nickelodeon and Disney movies and doodling in my school notebooks). Most recently, I’ve been using its markers, crayons, etc. to create more abstract drawings, an art form towards which I’ve always gravitated.
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
It makes me feel glad to know that my work will bring as much happiness to people (at least I hope it’s happiness) as it does to me during their creation and completion. And I wish the same for every other artist whose labors of love bring smiles and bliss upon everyone, young and old.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?
One of the things I’ve created using the Paint app is a comic strip entitled “Mr. McCarey & Keith” and the head of a library in which I’d volunteered showcased my comics for a special art display in addition to announcing about it at a volunteer luncheon. I’ll never forget how sweet she was for helping me out like that in getting notices for my work.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
From the late, great filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (director of 2001: A Space Odyssey and my favorite film The Shining), a quote that inspired my aforementioned logo: “However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.”
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
I love to create art because it makes me feel like I did as a kid! I want to share a bit of that childhood magic with others
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
I am a perfectionist so I LOVE to work digitally! My Ctr V gets a workout every time I create!
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
I am so happy that my work can be used to spread kindness and love! I’ve always hoped my artwork would encourage the world to be a more beautiful place.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?
The kindness thing ever done in my life has been just showing up during hard times. After I had my baby I was blown away by the people who were willing to just show love and support and show up for me even though I couldn’t offer them anything in return!
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
One quote I live by is by Britt Nicole: “We get so worried about being pretty. Lets be pretty kind. Pretty funny. Pretty smart. Pretty strong.”
What motivates you to make beautiful art?
When I see cute things around me it motivates me to capture it in art form and share it with others. Also thinking about what would be meaningful to the person receiving the art because you took precious time to make it while thinking of them.
What’s your favorite medium to work with?
Making digital art or colored pencils
How does it make you feel to know your art will be utilized to spread love and kindness to others?
Every day I strive to be loving and kind to the ones I’m interacting with because there is definitely a lack of it in the world so to know that my art will be used in a way that I try to live by feels really good spreading nothing but goodness.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you?Ā
The kindness thing that someone has done for me is spearing their time whether its for helping me during a time of need or just spending quality time with me.
What is your favorite inspiration quote? Or a compassionate quote?
Think beyond what’s been done before. The world is not waiting for more of the same – the creative act of being.
Art has the ability to connect us beyond the ability of language because its the universal way to send a message – the creative act of being.
