This weeks Window Walk Gallery Highlighted Artist of the week is Samantha Cronic.
“My name is Sam Cronic and I was so excited to be able to be a part of The River’s art walk gallery. Mental Health Awareness is special to my heart. So many people suffer so needlessly due to simple misunderstandings and stigmas. I was one of those people. I have spent too much of my life self-medicating and wasting life trying to deal with things the way that they were. Now, I am in full time recovery and learning skills and healthier ways to cope.
I came from a bad childhood that led directly into an abusive 20-year marriage. It took me a long time to find my way out of it, not just the marriage, but the journey of figuring out that I did not deserve to live that way anymore. Not believing I could do it on my own, I left for California for alcohol treatment and decided to stay. I met many people in recovery and AA who helped me along the way. For that I am grateful. I was homeless quite a bit of the time I got hurt on the job and was a displaced worker for a worker for quite a while which did not help my situation. But that was not even the real battle. My real fight is what is going on on the inside. Among several diagnosis’ my anxiety is probably the worst for me. Everything in you tells you don’t, won’t or can’t…. for anything that is in front of you. It feels like sometimes my mind is against me. I am happy to say today I have hope that that can change. Thankfully, I found Windy Springs (formerly FSP) and everyone in it.
I am learning so much just about myself and finding better ways to cope with things. I am working on distress tolerance, radical acceptance, and mostly how to love myself. I am grateful to the program and the people in my life today. One of the gifts given to me was my love for art. I started painting at Windy Springs about three years ago. There is such healing in sitting and all your focus being only on one thing. Creating or mimicking something beautiful. What else is there? Right? I also just completed school to be a veterinary assistant (during a pandemic) and I am extremely excited about that. I have to stop letting my anxiety get the better of me and go and introduce myself. Something I just happen to be working on".
For more of Samantha’s amazing work make sure to visit The River at Rancho Mirage!
