The Story of the Dreamscape Collection
Drifting Into a Daydream, 16×20 inches, oil on canvas
A Tribute to the Power of the Subconscious
The Dreamscape Collection is inspired by a topic I became absolutely obsessed with in recent years: the subconscious. Without taking the time to explore my own subconscious, this series would not have existed because I physically wouldn’t have been able to paint it. Diving into the power of my subconscious quite frankly gave me a second shot at life. I know that sounds dramatic, but I promise you it’s real.
If you’ve ever dealt with chronic pain, anxiety, or that feeling of being stuck in your own body, I hope this brings you some hope.
When Everything Hurt: My Journey With Chronic Back Pain
A few years ago, I was a healthy 20-something with debilitating back pain. Not just sore-after-a-long-day pain - I’m talking about canceling plans, missing trips, and fearing my future kind of pain. The kind that follows you into everything. Every moment, even the best ones, had a shadow over it.
I became afraid of the most ordinary things: sitting for too long, walking my dog, saying yes to things I used to love like dinner with friends, ski trips, and even painting. Of every hardship I’ve ever been through (and trust me I had a rough stretch of years), my experience with chronic back pain was the worst. There wasn’t a day that felt fully good, or a conversation I felt truly present for. Only pain. Questions that I didn’t want to face popped into my mind constantly: Is this just my life? Am I going to live like this forever?
It was dark.
I was desperate for a glimpse of hope and willing to try anything. I’d already gone through rounds of every treatment you can think of, but nothing worked. I searched the internet daily for solutions, only to be shown horror stories of the millions of Americans who suffer from back pain with no cure. I’d always been someone who truly believed I could get through anything, but I was defeated.
Until one night, with some serious luck that I can only thank my guardian angels for, I stumbled upon something that led me to look for relief in a place that no doctor, Google search, or Reddit thread had mentioned:
My subconscious.
Inner Light, 30×48 inches, oil on canvas
The Book That Changed My Life
Healing Back Pain by Dr. John Sarno
I remember packing for my move from Denver to Chicago, leaving almost everything behind, including this book about back pain that I ordered years prior when my pain first started. Last minute, I decided to grab the book from my donation pile and put it in my purse to take with me. It’s like I knew I was supposed to read it.
Months later, in an attempt to escape my pain just for a moment, I decided I’d give reading before bed a try. The problem was I only had one unread book on hand: Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Dr. Sarno.
Am I really going to try to take my mind off of my pain by reading a book about my pain? Luckily, I have a rigid follow-through policy, and if I tell myself I’m going to do something, I start immediately. I told myself I’d just read a few pages of this book tonight to kick off my new reading habit, and tomorrow I’d get a new, enjoyable book to read.
I finished it that night.
Dr. John Sarno introduced a concept that sounded almost too wild to believe: that the brain can create chronic pain as a way to protect you from emotional discomfort, stress, or unresolved tension. That pain, in some cases, is a distraction, a brilliant (but unnecessary) survival strategy.
This book was the first time I felt I might have found the real cause of the pain I’d been in all this time. And I was hopeful if I knew what the root cause was, I had a chance at fixing it.
Retraining My Brain
Deep Dive, 15×30 inches, oil on canvas
What happened over the next few months felt like magic, but it was grounded in Sarno’s lifelong dedication to exploring the science of pain.
I dove into my own subconscious. I started untangling the emotional patterns and stories my brain had been holding onto. I pinpointed the emotional distress that triggered my pain in the first place. I learned to question my pain, talk back to my triggers, and reassure my brain that I didn’t need the pain anymore. I went from avoiding sitting in my car at all costs, to willingly driving while purposefully slouching (still in pain), repeating to myself over and over again that I am fine, I am safe, and that I did not need the pain my brain was sending me. Slowly, it started feeling less severe.
After about three months of completely dedicating myself to retraining my brain…
The pain was gone.
Color Came Back
I’m not exaggerating when I say: I got my life back. I got color back. I got to feel like myself again. That’s what this collection is about.
Letting Go, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
The Dreamscape Collection is a celebration of the subconscious and all its power. It was born from that process of exploring and understanding. It’s about letting go of the past, freeing yourself from what isn’t serving you, and creating a new, joyful reality that once only felt like a dream.
Using a soft and surreal visual language for what can’t always be seen or explained, each piece explores that mysterious, in-between space between thought and feeling, reality and imagination - the place I had to go to find healing.
A Second Shot at Living a Pain-Free Life
These aren’t just paintings to me. They’re reminders that:
Our inner worlds matter.
Our minds are powerful.
Healing is possible, even when it seems out of reach.
Life can feel colorful and you can begin again.
I’m now overjoyed to say I am now completely pain-free.
I don’t take a single step, stretch, deep breath, or paint stroke for granted.
To the late Dr. Sarno, thank you. I truly owe you my life, and I hope, somehow, you can hear my gratitude.
To my past self, thank you for being the serious, rigid person who picked up that book, even when it was the last thing you wanted to read, and for doing the hard work that followed. I promise to never take this second, pain-free chance at life for granted.
This concept is so meaningful to me, that I’ve captured it through my first original art series and I hope it finds whoever needs it. Whether you're in the thick of suffering or standing in the best chapter of your life, this series is a reminder: celebrate life, draw strength from within, and give yourself permission to escape, even just for a moment.
You can view the full Dreamscape Collection here.
New Beginnings, 24×24 inches, oil on canvas
