Title: My Migraines
Description: The artist illustrated themselves experiencing a migraine, with all the major areas of the brain that are involved in the experience, colored in red. The white patterns spiraling around are the artists’ visual auras she sees before everything blurs to white, and she cannot see anything at all. Usually, at this point she is forced to stop what she’s doing, sit down where she is, and wait for her vision to return.
Migraines impact brain systems that process pain, odor, nausea, light sensitivity, audio sensitivity, emotional regulation from the debilitating effects, and memory processing of the pain. Auras may occur in severe cases and can blind the person experiencing it temporarily. It is best to stop moving and sit down, wherever you are, if you can, and wait for the blindness to subside.
SoulSprouts was born from a deeply personal place—my lifelong experiences with mental illness in the family. From a young age, I witnessed the complexities of mental health, the struggles of those I loved, and the gaps in understanding that often surrounded them. These experiences shaped my path, leading me to study neuroscience in an effort to better understand the brain, behavior, and the science behind mental health.
For years, I worked in academic and industry research settings, studying everything from neurophysiology and optogenetics to bioanalytics and cell therapy. But despite my scientific pursuits, I often found myself searching for something beyond the lab—something tangible, grounding, and deeply connected to the rhythms of life. That’s when I discovered hydroponics and psychiatric health care.
Arbor hospital (psychiatric hospital) in the summertime, 2020
What started as simple curiosity quickly became something more profound. Growing plants without soil became a metaphor for resilience—the idea that, even without the traditional foundation, life could still thrive under the right conditions. Similarly, the patients I worked with on “South 2” were often ostracized for the severity of their symptoms, including psychosis and sociopathy. With gentle care and patience, patients who had arrived violently could be discharged having made friends with fellow patients and staff.
Tending to my hydroponic system and working with patients became a form of therapy, a way to channel my energy into nurturing, learning, and problem-solving. Through this process, I realized that the principles of plant and human growth—adaptation, patience, and care—mirror the same principles needed for mental well-being.
Through SoulSprouts, I share this journey—not just the science of soilless gardening, but the deeper lessons offered by my own personal reflections on and reckonings with my mental health, through writings and poetry. On my YouTube channel, SoulSprouts_AJourney, I document my experiments, troubleshoot challenges, and explore the connections between growth in nature and growth within ourselves.
Hydroponically grown (front to back) collards, spinach, lettuce and beans
Beyond poetry and self-reflection, I express my passion for mental health and self-discovery through art. As the founder of The Painted Insomniac, I create works that reflect themes of transformation, struggle, and resilience, drawing from my own experiences and those of the people around me. Each design has a story – one that has affected me, my loved ones, or the greater community.
At its heart, SoulSprouts is about growth in all its forms—scientific, personal, and creative. It’s about learning, adapting, and finding beauty in both success and failure. Whether you’re here for hydroponic insights, mental health reflections, stories of the chaos I encountered on South 2, or simply to share in the journey, I invite you to grow alongside me.
Let’s nurture, experiment, and thrive—together. 🌱✨
Q: What kind of science do you study?
A: The science of behavior, in particular the behavior of microscopic organisms and systems. However, I am also interested in the intersection of neuroscience, genetics, psychology, applied mathematics, quantum physics, chaos, complexity and information theory. Everything fascinates me, as I believe everything is connected. Society tries to put everything and everyone into a neat little box, but life doesn’t work that way, I’ve discovered.
Illustration of neurons in a neural network, classifying visual input
Q: What kind of art do you do?
A: Drawing (graphite, pen, ink), painting (watercolor, oil, digital), crafting, scrapbooking, I also enjoy writing, primarily nonfiction, poetry and self-reflections. It’s my way of talking with myself, and God.
Q: What inspired you to found SoulSprouts?
A: I always knew I would have a unique perspective on mental wellness and illness, but it was something adjacent to me, as I grappled with concepts beyond my years, to help my mother recover and find peace. It wasn’t until I had a couple of my own mental breakdowns (and subsequent disability leaves of absence from work) did I realize that one major purpose on Earth for me is to normalize the mental health conversation and to fight stigma and work toward improving the lives of those who live with mental illness. I realized that my life experiences allow me to creatively work toward solving the problem of “What we do about mental health?”
Q: What do you foresee for SoulSprouts?
A: I envision a global company dedicated to humans first. People and their families. The world and its communities. Our number one priority isn’t going to be about making money, it will be about supplying communities in need with resources they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. We work towards equity and equality, which means we start with those that have the least, first.
Q: Thank you for these insights! Is there anything you would like visitors to know before they go?
A: Yes, no matter how bad things are they do get better. Everything is temporary and people do change. Trust in a higher power and it will help see you through the worst of times. Remember to enjoy being alive even if for just the little things. I like to take silent moments to thank God for reuniting me with my family, my gifts and talents that I pray to use to help as many people as I can, a bed to sleep on, and food to eat each and every day. Never stop fighting. Fighting for equality and equity in a world where we are all born equal. For equal access to the plentiful resources we were blessed with on this earth. And the wisdom, patience, love and hope to keep moving forward, even if just one step, and one day at a time. I leave you with this prayer
~God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. ~
Fin
