SilverLiningArtDecor

Where do I begin...
When I think back to when I started creating artwork, I think of some really dark times. The fact that I could pick up a pen, a pencil, a paintbrush and I could escape my reality made me cling to my creativity. I would get lost in every line, every shading, every brush stroke. At the time, I thought I was getting "lost " in my work, but in reality I was on a journey to find myself.

I struggled with heroin addiction for 16 years of my life. During that time I experience a great deal of trauma, but on the flip side I was creating a great deal of trauma for my loved ones and the people around me. I had bouts of homelessness. Many incarcerations and prison terms. I was victims to sexual assaults. Physical and emotional abuse. Detox. Treatment. Shelters...you name it.

I used art as my therapy. As an escape. I would create something and think about my life. I would think about my past. I would think about goals and aspirations. I would think about sooo much. So in reality. I didn't get "Lost" in my artwork... I found myself in my creativity. I found myself in creating art.

Now I am 4 years sober. I work as a survivor advocate for a non profit organization that helps survivors of human trafficking and formerly incarcerated women. I get to help women that walked in the same shoes as I once did and show them that recovery from trauma is possible. Creating artwork with my clients has been rewarding and so many levels.

I started this page after being awarded Featured Artist for this years International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference. Thank you for taking the time to read a little of my story and for checking out my artwork.

Sarah Demerath
Creative Ace / Owner
Silver Lining Studios
(262) 239-9199