Hello everyone! I wanted to start this group with a post about my intention for the space I want to create here for everyone. Beyond just sharing my painting techniques and creative processes, I want this to be a unique and collaborative group where we can all share our passions and our wins as we accomplish our goals and inspire others to do the same! Soon I will be making a video of how I start a pet portrait as I have a class coming up very soon teaching a large group how to paint their pets for a fundraiser that will benefit animals in need of extra care in our local Spokane area. Soon on that note, I wanted to get some conversations started to allow us all a I get to know each other a little better. With that being said, I would love to know what your favorite kind of pet is! So please introduce yourself, your favorite pet, and what you would like to gain from being a part of this group! I’ll go first, my name is Sam but I have gone by Squid for over 15 years as my chosen self, a reminder of my creativity and how much I have overcome since my early years. My favorite pets are my dogs (that I will be painting and sharing soon) bearded dragons, snakes and of course Squids! (If I could have one as a pet that would be rad lol) I would love to create a supportive community here that reaches far and inspires others to follow their dreams and passions in whatever endeavors in life they may want to pursue. I intend on sharing my Divinely inspired paintings and processes while providing helpful tips and techniques to help everyone learn how to bring their heartfelt creations out into the world as well. This can be anything from arts and crafts, to business ideas or workshops they would love to share. I want to see us all win and I believe it takes a strong community to do that. Now let’s here your ideas and what you want to share and express here! Feel free to share a picture of yourself, your work space or whatever you are currently working on with your introduction and let’s create some meaningful conversations! 💚😇

As I am starting to connect with people here more I was just reminded of how and why I ended up where I am at right now, so let’s start from the beginning. When I was 16 years old I nearly lost this life in a major car accident in this 1968 VW Baja bug. It was my first car, I worked really hard for it and only got to enjoy it for a few months before a poor decision put me into oncoming traffic and I was broadsided by a pickup doing 50mph. These old bugs had no safety features or reinforcement of any kind, the only thing that spared me was a lap belt that the previous owner had bolted into the floor which was actually a street sign as these old bugs had a habit of rusting out the floor. Truly miraculous that I survived, I have some serious guardian angels watching over me. I broke my pelvis in 3 places and ruptured my bladder, internal bleeding, the whole deal. After some emergency surgeries, a week in the hospital and lots of time to heal think and recover, I became Squid. I didn’t feel like the same person anymore and I decided to take life into my own hands as I quickly realized it can end at any moment. Ironically I was about half way through painting this picture when the accident happened, it was my first ever acrylic painting (though I had worked with other mediums before and had been making art and music most of my childhood.) I finished this painting a year later and that’s when I really decided to pursue art as a career because revisiting and healing this traumatic incident was a profound and powerful experience. I went to art school and earned a bachelors degree to sharpen my skills and truly commit to this life of creativity. That’s when I found handpans and fell in love with unique meditation instruments and started to incorporate sound healing to my practices of sharing healing with others. The last ten years I’ve been building my family and doing my best to stay creative and connected with my community but now my two kids are getting a bit older and I’m ready to really start focusing on myself and what I can do to share my gifts with the world in a much bigger way. Thanks for reading my long winded post, I hope this sheds some more light on my intentions and reason for being here on skool! I came to create and inspire and I hope to do just that here in Divine Creations! 💚