Aug 29

Aug 29 Update: Art+Life

Cazoshay Marie

Update, Community

Coming from a family of creative individuals, art has always been a part of my life in one form or another. After a traumatic experience as a child, art became not only a form of self-expression, but also a form of therapy & even of communication as I strove to make sense of the world around me. On May 19th while leaving an event at the PHX Science Museum I was struck by a car traveling 45 miles per hour while walking in a pedestrian crosswalk. I was thrown 15 feet in the air & 100 feet forward. Although my injuries were extensive & my recovery is ongoing, I’m blessed to still be alive & know that God truly has a purpose for my life.

Until very recently, due to the severity of my vestibular injuries, I have been unable to create art. To have lost my ability to express myself in that way was devastating; especially during this difficult & uncertain time of healing. Art has always been an outlet of expression for me as far back as I can remember, & to have that taken away as a result of the accident was emotionally challenging.

I’ve now been cleared to begin creating art again on a limited basis, & the accident has had a profound influence on my style as an artist. Before the accident, one thing that made me stand apart from other artists is that I did not have a finite, consistent style in my drawings & paintings. Even within the same medium, my art varied so much from piece to piece that it was not obvious that the same artist created them.

I do still believe that the variance in my art style provides for visual interest and allows for the evolutionary process to be at the forefront of my development as an artist and individual. That being said, since the accident, I have specifically been exploring the style of continuous line drawing. I perceive a direct parallel between continuous line drawing & the process of life itself.

With continuous line drawing, a single, unbroken line is used to create the piece. You at times have to stop & look at where you’ve been in the piece, to see where you are going. You never lift your pen or brush to stop & change what you are creating; meaning that it might not end up the way you wanted or originally envisioned, but you keep going & it ends up being something beautiful. Life, too is a continuous journey. You sometimes need to stop & look at where you’ve been to see where you are going. And although your path may not end up the way you envisioned, if you persevere & keep going, it will end up being something beautiful.

Now that I am cleared to begin creating art again on a limited basis, I'm excited to further explore & cultivate my career & expression as an artist. By using art to be connected to & serve the community, I will be able to not only use it to help heal myself, but to help others heal & peel back the layers to discover their own true essence.

You can see more of my art here, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the near future. 💕

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Hello Friends! I’m ✨Cazoshay Marie✨: speaker, artist, writer, disability advocate, avid gardener, wellness professional, recipe creator & single mom to an awesome college student (who helps me with this blog!) In 2017 I miraculously survived being hit by a car at 48mph while crossing the street in downtown Phoenix & although I still live with the effects of the accident every day, it has motivated me that much more to share about (non-toxic) positivity, a chic, elegant lifestyle despite limitations, as well as a regular dose of encouragement. Don’t be a stranger, leave me a comment! I love hearing from you!