JoyBethlyn Art Gallery
& Magical Menagerie

     I am a born and raised Alaskan gal with an anxiety disorder which is likely why I have BA/MA degrees in Social Work.  My struggles with anxiety as a teen drove me to want to help others as an adult, which led me to social work.  While my day job as a Guardian ad litem advocating for Alaskan youth in foster care is fulfilling work, it can also be stressful, frustrating, and seemingly unending.  To prevent burn-out, self-care has to be prioritized and a daily practice.  I found that painting was a fun outlet for self-care and did my first "paint & sip" evening in 2016.  Over the next few years I would occasionally paint for self-care, following along with YouTube tutorials and learning from trial and error.

     By the Fall of 2021, and after the isolation of the COVID pandemic lockdown, I hadn't done anything creative or artistic in two years and found that I missed it.  I bought a sketch pad and started doodling, which I found to be a relaxing distraction from the real world.  My sketch pad and pencil case could travel with me.  It was more accessible and portable than painting and gave me the flexibility to be creative on the go.  But I didn't consider myself an artist.  I was just doodling, a dabbler at best.  It was for self-care, not to share.

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     As the pandemic eased and I began to move about the planet again, I rediscovered the joy, fun and escape that comes from creating and enjoying art. In the first few months of 2022 I created a few new artworks, dipping my toe back into painting as part of my self-care routine.  During my first trip in 2022 to Casa de Belle in Escondido, CA, I visited the Escondido Arts Partnership-Municipal Gallery and was welcomed with open arms by the staff and artists I met.  For the first time, I thought that maybe I could share my work with people outside my social bubble.  Maybe I am an artist?

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     I flew back to Alaska full of ideas and inspiration that demanded to be put on canvas.  I started painting again.  I became a member of the EAP-MG.  I tentatively began to identify as an artist.  The first time I said "I'm an artist."  I said it hesitantly.  It felt weird and uncomfortable.  But my rediscovery of the "Vitamin of Joy" that comes from painting something new was revelatory.  I pushed through the discomfort and anxiety and found invigoration, liberation and delight exploring my daydreams brought to life on canvas.  I wanted to share this Vitamin Joy I had discovered through my art with others.