My true passion has always been art, in all its forms. I have a passion for anything creative. Anything that encourages you to see things from a different perspective. Something that connects to your soul and pulls on your heart strings of humanity. Art fell in love with me as a child and continued to follow me throughout my adulthood in some way shape or form.

Growing up in a chaotic and turbulent up bringing. I found art as an escape to a prettier and calmer place. I studied art from my foundation by taking every style of art class offered both in school year and in the summers with Community Education classes. My passion for creativity and escape grew stronger the older I got. On top of all my required classes, I additionally took every style of art class twice. Mastering my abilities to the point of becoming a Teacher’s Assistant to my art idol and art teacher for all these years. That chapter of my life ends when I graduated from Monticello High School with more than enough credits and followed my dream of becoming an Animator. I moved to Minneapolis, where I enrolled in The Art Institute International of Minnesota in the Media Art & Animation Program. After a tough and exciting 3 ½ years l graduated with Bachelor of Science Degree.

I spent most of my adult life moving around a variety of different cities in Minnesota, before moving to Colorado for a few years. Throughout my travels I’ve had the opportunity to work in a variety of different career paths. Most have been in the customer service industry, pre-production, childcare and entrepreneurship. Regardless of where life took me, I always came back to my desire to help people. I’ve pursued that by working as Direct Support Staff In Adult Foster Care Homes, Program Manager in Minor Group Home, Individual Living Support Workers and eventually progressing to Special Education Assistant in urban High School in their POHI Program. All that built up to where I am today as Certified Peer Support Specialist using my lived experience working in the Mental Health Field and living with mental health to support those who are in recovery or trying to get in recovery.

I accomplish this by taking the Drop-In Center from a physical location to a sanctuary for those who feel “lost” or “broken”. A true safe space where support is always free, unique, and different are welcomed with open arms and judgment and ignorance never makes it inside our doors. I am blessed to be able to use the skills I have gained from all those different types of jobs and integrate them into the center.

I use my art as a therapy tool not only for myself, but as an outlet and coping skill for the members when I teach Mindfulness, Meditation & Mandalas group on Tuesday evenings. I still purse my art through my own art company Roy G. Biv Ink where I sell my repurposed, up-cycled & mixed media art on Facebook page, Etsy and travel to different craft shows on weekends.

I also facilitate a Co-Occuring Disorder Group for individuals striving to maintain their recovery from any diagnosed addiction and mental health diagnosis too. I strongly believe you can’t just treat just one illness. Both diseases are interconnected at the utmost mental and physical level. Since I live with it every day and have been in recovery for 5 years, I have great pride in my ability to overcome and endure the many obstacles that have been set in my path. I look forward to all the progress our little center is going to make in the future of our community. That maybe one day stigma of mental health will be a thing of the past.