Laughingheart is my chosen perspective. Yes life has its difficulty and pain, loneliness and disappointment but I refuse to give it my focus. There is so much beauty, and wonder, humour and love, and that it is the theme of my life. We are told to focus on things that bring us to a place of gratitude. The garment of praise really does wonders for the spirit of heaviness. I spent years in crippling pain. As odd as this sounds, I had a dream one night that I was at a gallery opening of my work. At that point I wasn't an artist. The way I felt in that dream changed me. I focused on creating artwork, learning to work with beautifully coloured textiles, creating small sculptures, rugs and baskets. It was hard, and sometimes I couldn't even use my hands, but being saturated in textures, and the patinas of old metals, and the creative process, was a release. I became a multimedia artist. In the midst of pain it lightened my heart. I feel God's presence when I create. It is a gift from him to feel that happiness. Despite whatever was happening, I did not take myself seriously. Getting over myself was a gift of having been so ill. Now, being able to appreciate the wonder of nature and all the richness of these things gave me a laughing heart, and thus, my name.