“I’ve always loved movies. Growing up, I had very emotional reactions to them. Sometimes I would break down in the theater because of the way a movie ended.

“Wonderful films like ‘Interstellar,’ ‘The Shape of Water’ and ‘Her’ really resonated with me. After watching them, I felt incredibly moved. I felt like I had changed in a certain way. Like I saw things differently. I saw myself differently.

“Movies like that inspired me to think about making my own. In high school, after I did all my work in class, I would get on my phone and start writing a script. It was really terrible, but at least I was exploring something that fascinated me.

“Now I’m part of a video production studio called Pink-Eye Pictures. The idea is to tell stories through films, music videos and other projects, highlighting the talents of creative people in our area.

“Our co-founder, Nathaniel Zapata, came up with the name. I really loved the way it sounded and what it meant to me. It’s similar to how when you get pink eye, you can infect other people. It’s sort of the same idea, but in a more positive way. Where you see our work, and then you’re inspired and motivated to tell your own stories.

“There are a lot of artistic people around here who can use their talents to explore the world. I think it would be great if we could come together and bring that sort of art here. It’s definitely my passion now.”

— Sergio Valverde

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“‘We have to let our hearts break.’ I heard Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., say this recently. And whoa, I felt that. For me, 2020 started in a state of grief. Just a few months prior, I lost my sweet love, Daniel, to cancer. Then chaos ensued with the virus. Thankfully, my job switched to teleworking, and I went into quarantine to protect myself because I’m immunocompromised due to my weird autoimmune illness. I put my grief on the back burner, trying to adjust to the new normal. But it came creeping back in June when Daniel’s birthday rolled around. It hit hard on the anniversary of his death in late September. I knew I had to face it.

“I started seeing my friends dealing with the virus, getting sick, losing loved ones, losing jobs, and people stressed having to educate their children. As if the pandemic wasn’t enough, we’ve had heavy political and civic unrest, and every relationship has been tested. I realized all of us were dealing with grief and loss. I know when grief hits, I want answers. That big three-letter word, ‘Why?’ But I’m learning that first I need to feel it before I can put meaning to it. These past months, I’ve come to embrace the idea of impermanence. Nothing lasts forever, good or bad. When I think about it that way, it releases me from the need to control everything and have all the answers.

“In the meantime, what to do in survival mode? I’m leaning into my creative side. I’ve written some songs and taken up painting. Did I mention I was a control freak? Learning to paint is teaching me to deal with my perfectionism because I don’t have to ‘stay inside the lines.’ Also, more recently, my sister and I decided to learn sign language. It’s such a fascinating language that depends on human connection with body language and eye contact. And human connection is something we’re all craving right now.

“The word that I keep coming back to is ‘resilience.’ The human spirit and ability to not only survive but thrive in moments like these is so remarkable. I’m constantly inspired by the ingenuity and creativity of others around me. The only thing I’m sure of right now is that we weren’t meant to face hardships alone. We have to keep holding on to one another.

“I’ve also learned that grief is a blessing when I allow myself to sit with it. It shows me what’s important in life and what to let go of. It was an honor to be in Daniel’s light for a while. ‘Live life forward.’ That was his motto. And memories of his love and grace are definitely helping carry me forward.”

— Cynthia Dawn Clevenger

(Note: Cynthia Dawn Clevenger passed away on Jan. 26, 2022.)

The post ‘Grief is a blessing when I allow myself to sit with it’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“When I watched that video of George Floyd, I was in shock. It’s such a sad thing. Then I saw the ‘#ICantBreathe’ hashtag, and it really hit me. I felt like I needed to take those simple, but powerful words, and put them in a portrait of him.

“I’ve always loved portraiture. I love how everybody’s face is different and how they each seem to tell a unique story. I’ve been doing word portraits since maybe 2012. It’s a technique where you use words to create the image. It’s really interesting work. It’s very detailed. You can kind of get lost in it.

“I would get requests to do people who were deceased. Family members would suggest using song lyrics or a favorite quote. And I would find myself getting pretty sad while writing the words. But I always felt like it was kind of my purpose to do them justice, and to provide something meaningful to the family.

“I feel the same way with George Floyd. I think he has family in Houston. So I’m hoping somehow that this can reach them. Or if there’s some sort of foundation or charity in his name, maybe prints could be made with the proceeds going to support that.

“I feel like we’re kind of watching a movie right now. I mean, it almost doesn’t feel real. But I know it is. I know that racism is alive. It just seems like a lot of people are in denial about it.”

— Sheryl Duncan

Sheryl is an art teacher at Barbers Hill High School. Check out more of her work at Wren Wilder Studio.

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“As kids in Indiana, we lived in five houses. Our parents would finish remodeling one and we’d move on to the next. Growing up, five years was the longest we ever lived in one place. It got to the point where we’d be watching them go from room to room, fixing things up. And when they reached that final room we’d go, ‘They’re almost done. We’re going to move again.’ Dad was a handyman. He liked fixing stuff. He did the carpentry, and Mom would paint and decorate a little bit. They put their imprint on each home. We definitely picked up things from watching them.

“When he had time, Dad did oil paintings. Mom was artistic as well. She could draw and paint, and she was always making stuff for things like graduations and weddings. She enjoyed making gifts special and doing something unique. Like one year at Christmas, my grandfather needed a new pair of shoes. So Mom got one of those old Fisher-Price toys that looked like a shoe. It was the old woman who lived in a shoe. Well, Mom decorated it really cute and put money inside, I think, and that’s how she presented my grandfather with his Christmas present. That’s just one example of the things she would do. I guess we got a lot of our creativity from her.”

— Cara Protain and Beth McAuliffe

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