Creative Therapy

Between travels with my brushes, sharing the power of art and creative therapy in foreign lands, I jump in my VW bus and head up the West Coast visiting family and dear friends. On my drive north this time around, I receive a call. Fires are ripping through southern Oregon and Northern California. My siblings, my nephews and niece, my mom…?

Nearly 2,500 homes were left in ashes. Thankfully my family is okay and their houses still stand. My heart goes out to those who lost all… and I decided to share what I do abroad in our own backyard.

While painting this home on wheels yesterday morning, countless residents stopped… some in shock, tears, despair, searching for hope, light at the

end of the tunnel, something positive… and It was a deep honor to listen to some of their stories and share a painting from my heart. This sprinter van has its own remarkable, heartbreaking and alchemical story, burnt to its skeleton in the fires of Phoenix, Oregon, where I’ve had my permanent address for years. The moment I saw it in the parking lot, I was blown away at the artistry left in the wake of the flames upon its metal! The ash and oxidization and extreme heat, I was looking at a masterpiece and the call directed my brushes to accentuate the beauty and turn destruction into creation.

Before starting I could not find the owner and members of the community said, “just go for it.”

And as I was wrapping up the paint, the owner of the sprinter, Tamsin, came by with beautiful silver hair and she loved it! I made a new friend who also does everything she can to be a beautiful, caring and active human being in her community and in the world!

The synchronicity would take hundreds of pages to lay out, but believe me, despite all the destruction, and no matter how dark moments can feel, there is some serious divine orchestration at work. Huge love to you all… we’re in it together! A huge shout out to all the firefighters out there on the front line!!!

@ Phoenix, Oregon By Benjamin Swatez