Natascha Holmes

I am from beautiful South Florida, Miami to be exact. A city that rarely sleeps, Miami is legendary for many things all around the world. I am thankful to have grown up within the folds of a supreme cultural melting pot. Ocean waves, towering palm trees, pastel painted skies; and the everlasting love of the sun kept me company throughout my life there. Every day was an explosion of color that radiated beyond my wildest dreams. Mother Nature was definitely my first art teacher and continues to be. As an abstract painter and mixed-media artist, art is my life. Painting and creating are just like breathing to me. Art is such a powerful healing tool which has an expansively eternal quality about it. Art is unlimited in the places it is able to reach within each and every one of us. I know it’s a part of my life mission to combine the therapeutic aspects of art with the healing energies of ancient earth traditions to help create more balance in the world. So you see when it came to choosing a graduate program for myself Southwestern College was my first choice. Now that I am here, with every day that goes by I take comfort in knowing that I made the best choice for me and my family. My decision to enroll in the Art Therapy/Counseling Program, not only affects me personally; but it will also have a tremendous impact for my family lineage. My family has been very supportive and they take a lot of pride in the work that I am doing here. To say that I love all of my classes may sound as if I’m writing a grad school fairytale but it’s absolutely true. I have found them to be challenging, informative and supportive. My instructors are real people living real lives and I appreciate the wisdom they openly share with us all. Being a graduate assistant has afforded me the opportunity to really explore my ideas of “social responsibility” and what that means for me. Attending Southwestern College is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am absolutely thrilled to be here. Present in the “here and now” as I take off on this wonderful journey in one of the most fabulous cities in the world, Santa Fe New Mexico! –Natascha Holmes