My story begins in Colombia, South America.

I was born in a small city called Palmira, in Valle Del Cauca. I arrived to St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada when I was about to turn 8 years old, and my brother had just turned 10. We came to Canada as refugees, not knowing the language or anything about the culture. After about 5 years of adapting, learning the language, and getting used to our new home, our parents yearned for more; they wanted to pursue a better future for us. So they joined the Canadian Armed Forces. The army uprooted our whole life and moved us to a new province, giving us a three day notice. They took us to Ontario, where we lived in the military base, Borden, for about a year. 

After our parents finished their training, they were posted in Edmonton, Alberta, so we had to move yet again. I ended up living about 10 years in Edmonton, but that amounted to over 7 different homes, 3 different schools, and 2 Universities. I studied Psychology, Sociology and English for about 3 years until everything became too chaotic in my life. I begun struggling with anxiety and depression in my teenage years, and it only continued to get worse into my early 20s. This is where  the "Reflect & Create" journey really began.

The Story of Reflect & Create began when my life almost ended. 

Every time I fell into a terrible depression, I always looked for help. I saw many shrinks, counselors, psychiatrist, & therapists throughout the years. When talking to others didn't help, I always found a way to help myself to get better & keep going. But no matter what I did, I would fall back into the same cycle of sickness and healing every few years. In my early 20s, I was fighting a debilitating "Generalized Anxiety" and "Chronic Depression" diagnosis, which doctors said had no cure, just ways to cope. Over the years, no matter how much I sought help, I felt like nothing really did make me better, and no one gave me real hope. Then I got so sick I almost lost my life and ended up hospitalized. 

After realizing I had a second chance to live this life, I knew I needed to find a purpose. I needed a reason to keep going, I needed a mission in life in order to make this all worth it. The result was a journey of reading, extensive research, and exploring new hobbies to pass the time. I found refuge painting, drawing, writing—basically I started to CREATE and that's when I truly begun healing. I then moved to British Columbia on a whim by myself, and my brother made the move 6 months later. Two years later, after a tough divorce, my mother joined us. That's when everything truly came together in my life.

After having healed, I was determined to not repeat the cycle of sickness and healing again. I wanted to find ways to strengthen my mind; I wanted to work out my brain the way one works out to a have a stronger body. So, as I worked on myself and continued to improve my physical and mental health, I eventually found myself back in school. I got my Diploma in Community Support Work, got Certified as a Mental Health Worker, and proceeded to get over 20 certifications. I fell more and more in love with learning. Then, with the intent of pursuing a career as an Art Therapist, I ended up completing a certification called, "Healing with the Arts".

Healing with The Arts changed my life 

Like many people, when I thought of Art Therapy, I pictured painting on a canvas to deal with mental illnesses and trauma. But when I took the certification, we integrated different forms of art. Each week I practiced a different art form; I wrote poetry, journaled, danced and practiced body movement, meditated, painted, drew, doodled, and even did throat singing. I learned how to guide people through this, but the most impactful thing about the experience was the benefits of doing the work myself. I fell in love with these methods and I wanted to share them with the world. 

Reflect & Create was born

That's when my path changed and Reflect & Create was born. I realized the power of art was something I was never truly taught, and I knew this could change many people's lives the way it had mine. I looked into the science of art, the benefits, the research, the psychology behind it, and fell into a rabbit hole that gave me an idea. I no longer wanted to just help people heal. I wanted to show everyone how the arts could help us prevent mental illnesses, strengthen our minds, improve inumerable aspects of our lives, and elevate us. I wanted people to know that working on ourselves could be fun, creative, and that doing it as a community, we could grow and evolve together. 

The Mission

Reflect & Create has the mission of helping as many people as possible. Through Reflect & Create, I want to empower others to take control of their own mental health. I want to provide art supplies and musical instruments to those who can't provide it for themselves. I want to inspire creativity, innovation and change in the world. This is why I decided that I would host Mental Fitness events and show people how to use the arts, for self-development and self-care. I thought about opening a business under my name, and calling the events "Reflect & Create", because that's what we would do. But my brother suggested that "Reflect & Create" would make an amazing name for the business. He saw the potential, believed in me and encouraged me. So, I did, I opened my business in September 2023 and started hosting these events online. 

I decided I would do this for free, and let those who could and wanted to, donate. Paying it forward is at the foundation of this business and how it functions. Reflect & Create was made to help all people, regardless of age, status, race, sexual orientation, religion, or beliefs. Whether people are looking to heal or strengthen their mind, the arts have the power to help us all grow. Whether you're an artist or have never practiced any of the arts, whether you're a pro or a beginner, Reflect & Create welcomes all.

THANK YOU

  Our goal is not to make money, our goal is to help people. But without our donors, this would not be possible. So thank you to all our donors, thanks to all our members, thanks to all who have supported this journey, you make this possible. Thank you to my family, to the people that have joined the events, recommended them, and those who have provided words of encouragement & feedback. Thank you for making our first two years such a success. You are all so appreciated; you have made a difference in my life and many others. Together we will help many. 

Reflect & Create encourages you to embrace the arts, it could change your life too.