Instagram story viewer> @selfesteemthroughart> Posts

Self Esteem Through Art

@selfesteemthroughart

791

followers

972

following

Studio owner, mentor, artist, teacher. Self-discovery mixed with creativity. expressive arts.. Also me: @jennpipe

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Last weekend, we had a nor'easter. I spent the whole weekend making art that helped me relive the falconry experience at @newenglandfalconry---an experience that was the highlight of my 2026 summer bucket list. Using photos that my husband and I took, I created layered, textured, mixed-media interpretations of the three owls I handled that day.

Boie the burrowing owl.
Alba the barn owl.
And Sibley the Eurasian eagle owl.

I'll never forget that day and I love that I now have my own falconry-inspired artwork that will make me smile every time I see it. 🦉🦉🦉

#selfesteemthroughart
@selfesteemthroughart
#falconry
#mixedmediaartwork
#collage
#jenns2026bucketlist by @selfesteemthroughart

19

17

14 hours ago

Snippets of small things that are going to become other things. Using up paper scraps, old gel plate prints, vintage book, magazine, and newspaper pieces, tissue, napkins, lace, and more.

Sometimes it's nice to just play and focus on the small details that make up the whole...

#selfesteemthroughart #collage #mixedmedia #tinydetails #useyourscraps by @selfesteemthroughart

9

3

20 days ago

Remember a few posts ago, I mentioned therapy? Well, I wanted to pop back in with a question for you to ponder as you navigate your own journey. And I'd also like to give you a book recommendation.

The question: "What's my role in my own suffering?" Paraphrased another way: "What role am I playing or do I continue to play in this situation?"

Maybe it's people pleasing, maybe it's enabling, maybe it's avoidance or numbing or weak boundaries or self-sabotage or rescuing or meddling in other people's business. Trust me—that question is going to piss you off...and it will also set you free! Moving forward, I'm making it a habit to ask myself that question whenever I feel the resentment, guilt, anger, or disgust creeping in. And, I'm making changes accordingly—lately that means not tolerating things I've been expected or conditioned to tolerate, letting other adults figure their own shit out and/or experience the consequences of their own actions/inaction without rescuing or acting as unpaid advisor, counselor, or punching bag.

It's all a work in progress. I am rediscovering how I want to be treated while simultaneously educating and setting big boundaries with energy vampires and those who repeatedly either weaponize their incompetence or take, take, take and never reciprocate.

Next thing: book recommendation (2nd slide). My therapist mentioned this book in 3-4 consecutive sessions before I went out to buy it. I said to myself, "Self. If she's brought this up over and over again, there's something there." Just like the question above, reading this book really fucking pisses me off (and sometimes makes me really pissed at other people), and it will ultimately also set me free.

I think I am going to move this conversation over to a Substack. I need to come up with a name first...more to come.
Have any of you ever read this book? Thoughts? How did it help you?

#selfesteemthroughart #therapyjourney #personalgrowth #selfdiscovery #codependentnomore by @selfesteemthroughart

32

11

21 days ago

Tried some cyanotypes on my flea market ribbon, using a combination of botanicals and die-cuts. They cooked really well and the outcome looked promising, but a lot of the cyanotype solution washed off in the bath. Looks like the ribbon may have been treated or may need a mordant before the dye process.

They still look really cool and I love how the turmeric ones came out a little grungy. But, my favorite part of all of this might be how some of the solution transfered onto the die-cuts!! I'm definitely hanging onto these happy accidents for use in a future project of some sort!

#selfesteemthroughart
#cyanotype
#fleamarketfinds
#diecuts
#happyaccidents by @selfesteemthroughart

15

1

22 days ago

It's sad sunflower season in New England. The time of year where the once majestic sunflowers bow their heads, possibly in surrender. Or exhaustion. Or perhaps with the generosity of spirit to know that their seed heads will now serve another, higher purpose.

I have a longstanding love/hate relationship with the month of September. It's a month that tends to demand more from me than I'm ready to give. This year feels extra cacophonous for countless reasons. So I'm contemplating things that would make the transitions and the tumult less jarring.

This art journal page is symbolic and meaningful. It holds softness and stillness; two things I'm committed to giving myself as I move through the last quarter of this very challenging year. This is why I love the expressive arts so much and why they're so important for emotional and mental health.

#selfesteemthroughart
#artjournaling
#expressivearts
#contemplative
#symbolism by @selfesteemthroughart

20

2

a month ago

Some art journaling in between today's dorm duty shifts..acrylic paints, stencils, tissue paper, image transfers, fabric scraps, and a stitched piece I made at one of @colleenattara 's summer workshops last year. It's been waiting for its moment to shine and today was the day.

#selfesteemthroughart #mixedmediaartist
#artjournaling #imagetransfers #popsofpink by @selfesteemthroughart

18

4

a month ago

There's no one way to grieve. No right or wrong when processing loss. And sometimes not grieving at all is the right choice.

As next of kin, we were notified by the police that my father died a little over a week ago and I haven't said much about it for numerous reasons. Those of you that know me well know that I've been no contact with my father since roughly 1998. Those of you that know me the best know that he wasn't really much of a father even before that. Sure, there were some good memories along the way and there are pictures of him in the photo albums and I share his DNA, but the biggest lesson I ever learned from him is who not to be.

Going no contact, regardless of the circumstances, is never easy---but I can attest that, for self-preservation's sake, it can absolutely be necessary. For decades, I had no idea where he was or what he was up to. I didn't care to know. All I knew is that he no longer had the power to hurt or manipulate me and that was enough. I continue to have no regrets about that.

There's a finality here. An asterisk in the timeline. But I grieved the loss of the father I never had a loooonnngggg time ago---for me, there are no more tears to be shed and I'm at peace with that.

I also hope he's at peace and finally free of all his demons, too. Because in life, he was about as disregulated and dysfunctional as they come.

*In case you haven't figured it out, everything goes in my journals/art journals. The good, the bad, the ugly. All of it. And I share because hopefully it gives someone else the courage to do the same. Even if you're only sharing the truth with yourself...that matters.

#selfesteemthroughart #onloss #itsallvalid #shareyourtruth #artjournaling by @selfesteemthroughart

9

8

a month ago

My most recent art journal page is a cheeky homage to THERAPY! 🗣

This is the 3rd time I've been to therapy in my lifetime. I LOVE my current therapist--best one I've had so far! One of my favorite things about her is that she helps me identify the role(s) *I* play in situations and the ways I consciously and/or unconsciously participate in my own problems/challenges. As she helps me identify the things that aren't and have never been mine to carry, she's also offering suggestions for how I can return those things to sender.

I'm not one to yap for yappin's sake. And I don't go to therapy to bitch and complain. I want solutions. I want change. I want to learn and grow. It's funny though...I originally sought a therapist for one very specific reason earlier this year and damn if ALLLLL the fucking skeletons haven't started tumbling out of the closet. 🤣 It's good though, because quite frankly, I've been at the end of my rope about a lot of things for a long time. I'm a literal ray of goddamned sunshine and you'd never know I was struggling, but I've realized I'm not doing myself any favors by smiling and tolerating when I should be setting better boundaries and taking care of ME. So that's the project for the foreseeable future...me.

I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in following along, but I think I'm going to start writing more about this part of my journey. Writing is one of my favorite ways to process and heal and maybe my journey could even help someone else on theirs. 🤷‍♀️ Most of my in-depth sharing will probably take place on my blog...this platform isn't worthy of that kind of content.

If you'd like to follow along, let me know in the comments. If not, that's cool, too. I mostly do all of this for me anyways...people taking a genuine interest is an added bonus. ❤️

#selfesteemthroughart #artjournaling #gototherapy #skeletonsinclosets #safespaces by @selfesteemthroughart

12

8

a month ago

❓️You might be wondering why I look like Snow White with a bunch of woodland creatures on my shoulders in this art journal layout. Valid.
❗️It's because I had too much glue on my fingertips and I ripped off a bunch of my neck while trying to adhere myself to the page. This was my cover-up solution.

Anyhoo. Here's the layout. Maybe you relate to the sentiment. Maybe you don't. I love how it came out! The background on the top of the page is a paper towel I saved after drying another piece of artwork....first time I've used an actual paper towel in my art journal, I think.
The photo of me was taken on a beach a number of years ago; I printed it out on my printer and cut away the background.

Side note: I really loved that sweatshirt from Wildfang. It was so soft. I hate hoodies (I know, the horror 💀), so finding a crewneck sweatshirt I love is a challenge. Not really sure what happened to this one...

I'm taking a sabbatical today and keeping my phone on do not disturb. Back to making some art and protecting my peace. Toodleoo...✌️

P.S. if nothing else, you should smash the heart for the beautiful dried flowers from my garden. They made the perfect guest appearance in this photoshoot. ❤️

#selfesteemthroughart #artjournaling #protectingmypeace #mixedmediaart #keepingitreal by @selfesteemthroughart

18

5

a month ago

Exactly one week ago to the hour, I was in Vermont checking a big thing off my bucket list. I've wanted to do falconry for quite some time & this was finally the year I made it happen. (These are just some cell phone pics that my husband & I captured...I have hundreds of jaw-droppingly beautiful photos on my D-SLR)

I was awestruck all morning and am still trying to find the words to adequately describe how magical the experience was and how I feel profoundly changed by it all.

Couple quick takeaways:

1. Nature heals. Doesn't matter if it's the mountains, the ocean, or a greenspace in the city...get outside and soak it all in. We are losing land and species at an alarming rate. Maybe some time in nature will remind you how important it is to protect it and to speak up for the living things that can't speak at all.

2. I held birds of prey, you guys. Powerful raptors. Made eye contact with them. Touched their feathers. Told them how beautiful they were, because wow, were they ever beautiful! Felt no fear, despite knowing that they could rip the flesh off my bones if they chose to. There was an unspoken, yet mutual, trust between us. I'm not religious, but this experience touched my spiritual core.

3. There was obviously a financial & logistical cost to making an experience like this come to fruition. And I realize that it isn't possible or accessible for everyone. But, when I made eye contact with Sibley & looked into those amber eyes, I realized that the cost of putting myself last all the time is the thing that's actually bankrupting me; body, mind, and soul. Changes must be made!

I developed a BUNCH of pics from this trip & they're supposed to arrive today. You will see an owl series start to emerge pretty soon. (*Remember the osprey/egret from earlier 2026? I'll probably work in that style, which will result in a beautiful body of work)

*the final few pics are above the treeline at VINS where we saw an adult bald eagle & its fledged eaglet. We got to watch the adult soar over a pond--it literally took my breath away. We, as humans, take far too much for granted. Truly.

#selfesteemthroughart #falconry #jenns2026bucketlist #natureheals by @selfesteemthroughart

37

21

2 months ago

Had some fun teaching my clients how to alter magazine pages last week. I love this project because it encourages you to imagine something in a completely different way and the artist's personal style can really show through. It's also a playful way to create art using a focal image that already exists.

For the black-and-white, accept-things-at-face-value people out there, there's a curiosity and whimsy to this process. A slowness. An opportunity for playful self-expression.

If you scroll through, you'll see the unaltered image of the woman. I forgot to take a "before" picture of the owl, but it was a wooden sculpture sitting on a pedestal in a paneled room.

Process: the page of the woman was completely created with Posca pens. The owl was created with acrylic paints. I coated the background with white gesso first then painted over it. Fine details on the top were made with Posca pens.

This was such a fun technique! If you have some old magazines around, give it a try.

#selfesteemthroughart #alteredmagazines #poscapens #mixedmedia #playfulselfexpression by @selfesteemthroughart

9

0

2 months ago

I spent some time earlier this week experimenting with ICE DYEING. If you're looking for a really simple technique that will give you vibrant results, this might be for you! Best part is you don't really need many supplies--just a little sunshine and a warm day.

I used highly pigmented art powders. You could probably use things like turmeric and cayenne from your kitchen to produce similar results. Maybe even alcohol inks!!

The technique was pretty simple: place a bunch of ice cubes on top of your substrates (I used vintage linens from a thrift store--unmordanted--and watercolor paper). Sprinkle the powders on top of the ice cubes and let the sun do its thing. As the cubes melt, the pigments will interact with the substrates, making beautifully abstract designs. Feel free to swish the substrate around in the pan if you get some puddling (it will spread the color out a bit). Leave the color bath in the sun for a little while, then remove substrates and let dry.

The artistic possibilities are endless. Give it a shot!

#selfesteemthroughart #icedyeing #artexperiments #dyedfabric #pigmentpowders by @selfesteemthroughart

16

7

2 months ago