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Butterfly
oil painted butterfly art courtesy of Big Stock Photo
Authors : Gina Quarles

Spotlight on Gina Quarles

Healing Through Creativity: Spreading Kindness and Hope

Gina QuarlesI am a 45-year-old stay-at-home, divorced and remarried woman. I am currently recovering from a near-death auto accident I had in January 2012. I am still recovering to date and awaiting another surgery.

After my accident, I was very thankful to have been given another chance at life and had to work out many of my feelings. I went to what I could do as I was in a halo and had a broken leg, and that was my writing. Most of my writings from the early days can be found within my journal entries and more are within my website at www.ginaquarles.com.

Writing provides me with a healthy escape including a creative outlet for expressing myself. You cannot put a price on spreading kindness and encouragement around. The rewards are what fuel my passion for writing.

I wrote for healing purposes and it was mainly though that process that I found myself caring about the non-tangible things in our world. My passion is for spreading encouragement, inspiration and hope. That is the main theme of my website. The accident changed my perception of life. My website contains messages of kindness, happiness and hope for others, along with many movements I respect that do the same or more.

I first discovered my passion for writing back in the late 90’s after the birth of my first child. I had worked since my twenties and staying at home was brand new for me. I have published articles on the web back in the 2000’s. Some were on Momscape.com. They were under “Thoughts from our readers” under the articles, “A Mother’s Epiphany”, “Towards Compassion: Understanding the Pressures on Your Husband”, “Serenity Now!” and “Mother Matters: Affirming a Mother’s Role.” I have published poetry works in the Library of Congress edition, “Echoes of the Century” by Pen Publisher and poetry in a local Northwest publication, “Spiral Journey” located in the Pacific Northwest.

Since then, I have relocated to Texas, been divorced after 13 years, now remarried with a 3-year-old, two girls from my first marriage and three step children. We are your modern day "Brady Bunch." I was forced to take a break from pursuing my degree in Education due to my recovery. I am a stay-at-home mom once again.

Gina Quarles's Dabbles and Dos

Flower SketchDabble with Art and Discover the Hidden Gifts from Within
By Gina Quarles
Pencil to paper, I did not know where to begin. I thought more about what to attempt to put on this blank sheet of paper staring at me.

Photo CollageTreasures of Memories
By Gina Quarles
How scrapbooking, shadow boxes, and collage art can be used to showcase photos and achievements of your life and of your loved ones

Creative Mind Therapy
By Gina Quarles
Pearl Buck, winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature said, "The truly creative mind [feels] the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off."

The Tools Within My Art Box
By Gina Quarles
One thing that I practice when I am writing, drawing or creating a piece of poetry, is using my senses to lead me. Think of a cat jumping up on the kitchen counter.

Time for a Field Trip
By Gina Quarles
Give yourself permission to go be a kid again and go pull out your pencil box, tablet, make a sack lunch and go have a picnic with you. I promise it will be the best field trip ever.

Optical Illusions, Changes in Nature Prompt Creativity
By Gina Quarles
Optical illusions, along with changes in nature, can have a powerful impact on your creativity.

Why Journal?
By Gina Quarles
Do you ever wonder why so many people talk about journaling? Who has the time? Why bother?

Fill in The Blank
By Gina Quarles
Puzzles and word lists prompt and inspire.

Idea Hunting
By Gina Quarles
Creative ideas are everywhere — especially when kids are around.

'Change It Up a Bit'
By Gina Quarles
Creatively stuck? Change your space, get inspired, illuminate new views.

Priceless Scribbles
By Gina Quarles
After my near-death auto accident I had to heal. I found myself scribbling and pressing hard on paper while releasing much confusion and anger.

Making Time for Creativity — The Secret Problem for Moms
By Gina Quarles
My remedy for "the secret problem", is to do something creative for that artistic side of you that is dying to come back and resurface every day.

You Are Beautiful
By Gina Quarles
No one can truly define what beautiful means.

20 Questions Interview
By Gina Quarles
Gina answers: If you could share just one tip that you feel is important to every writer or artist what would it be? and 19 other questions.