all in a name

today i received an email from a woman in missouri who also uses the name silver tree in her art work.  she shared some of her story surrounding her name and asked for my story.  i thought i'd share it here, as she is not the first to ask, but i found the words flowing.  thus, i'm quoting myself, using capital letters, which i never do here:

I'm happy to give you a little history of my name for my art.  I like to say that I grew up in a tree ( a wisteria tree ) in my grandmother's yard.  There my creativity took the shape of mudpies among the sounds of bees & smells of those flowers, which also topped my creations.  My doodles & block prints always have some form of tree, and trees are especially calming to me ad my creative spirit.  Thus, tree.  I love working with silver and have made jewelry in various forms since I was a teenager. Thus, silver.  What I do is art.  It took a long time to admit that my "creativity" produced art.  I always thought of art as a part of me, but never fully acknowledged myself as an artist until a few years ago.  

Thus, Silver Tree Art is what I call my art & wears.  Also because what I do takes the form of "branches".  I am the tree itself and what grows from me includes my various art forms & lines -- block printing, jewelry, writing, quilting, stained glass, cooking, gardening, etc.  I also lead bereavement groups and conduct art & spirituality retreats as well as workshops and retreats for children & youth.  I am an ordained minister and enjoy these retreats/workshops/groups very much, as they are a part of that growth from my core -- the tree trunk.  The tree has become a very important symbol to me as well, because i attribute my creativity -- coming up from the roots --as a source springing up from my ancestors, the collective creative spirit, and the Creator.  my various endeavors, or you could say the many hats i wear -- the branches -- can give voice to the various aspects of my life, which all come from the core of me.  My art is also seasonal, which takes the tree metaphor full-circle.  I am not always working with the same medium or using the same material, but they cycle back into the picture.  

in case you were curious, there you go.