For musician / Coast Guard spouse Lauren Leiter, making music runs in her family. Creating songs with others is a way she stays connected and keeps communication flowing even with multiple military moves. Learn more about Lauren and ‘Lighter Ray,’ her duo with her sister. Tell us a little about yourself, your journey as a …
Frequent PCSing often leaves military spouses no option other than putting careers on hold for the short-term or even long-term. Mil spouse photographer Meredith Ryncarz has developed a way to keep her business going from move to move, with strategies that help her establish new clients/bookings before she has reached the new duty station. With …
Ever wonder how to make your art serve your community? In our April Artist Interview, photographer and visual artist Stephannie Maskowski shares how the difficulty of transitioning her art business between postings lead her art in a new direction, serving the military community through art therapy.
Coming into militaryspousedom in my 30s, I find a kindred spirit in Megan Mioduski’s story. It’s difficult to discover that PCSing and military life often doesn’t support a spouse’s career, and entering into a community in which you feel like the odd-one-out just compounds an already disruptive situation. As an actress, Megan had to discover …
Ashley Patricelli is a painter whose work reflects an openness to experimentation and letting the subconscious emerge. Her work evokes emotion with rich texture and imagery interplaying with layers of color and dimension. Ashley describes a relationship with her art-making that is authentic, curious, and playful. After reading her words and seeing her work, I’m …
Army spouse Christy Tremblay’s mixed-media art is the perfect metaphor for a multi-textured, multi-layered military life. As mil-spouses, we often don’t know where life is taking us next as we evolve with each new place and experience, and all of those unexpected places and experiences become layers that shape us into the people we never …
This December as the winter weather descends, what better way to spend an evening than wrapped up in a blanket and a tale of romance? Elizabeth Ann West is an author and former military spouse who writes charming Jane Austin fan fiction and variations. Elizabeth talks with us about how her work and life as …
Hello MilspoFANs! With November coming to a close, the season of the Nutcracker Ballet is upon us! One of my favorite activities for the past three years has been taking my young daughter to see our local dance company’s production of The Nutcracker Ballet. I’m looking forward to making this an annual tradition because we …
Leigh Cortez is an art student-turned-artillery-soldier-turned-milspouse-and-tattoo-artist-turned-MFA-student-turned-artist. Her bold and compelling work is layered with autobiographical meaning. With her paintings, Leigh invites a dialogue both within the military community and with “outsiders” exploring modern military life, tradition, trauma, unpredictability, and belonging. Leigh’s thoughtful descriptions of her work and process, as well as her candid story about …
Kirsten Carlson is a scientist-artist who’s work inspires wonder, awe, and appreciation of the natural world. Her work ranges in form from detailed scientific illustration to whimsical children’s stories and illustrations to sketching and painting. Kirsten’s work examines and highlights the extraordinary beauty all around us in the natural world. She reminds us to look, …