© Painting by Arna Baartz. Commissioned by Jodie Gale.
Arna Baartz – The Artist, The Seeker
This painting sits at the heart of Trauma Warriors™. A circle of women, connected to soul-self, to each other, and to nature.
This is the second painting I have commissioned from Arna. The first, Dancing in the Garden, lives in my therapy room. When I began creating Trauma Warriors™, I knew I wanted her work here too. There is something in the way she paints that speaks directly to the inner world, to what is felt but not always easily put into words.
In trauma work, connection is not a given. It is something that may have been lost, fractured, or never fully formed. Connection to the body, to feelings, to others, to the natural world. This image holds something of that possibility.
Arna discovered her relationship with colour and expression through her own creative process. Her work reflects an understanding that what we create is not separate from who we are. It emerges from within, often carrying aspects of experience that have not yet found language.
She writes:
“Making art can be humorous, messy and invigorating, evoking a childlike enthusiasm and helping us feel more balanced. I need balance, so I do it as often as I can.
The truth is, we are all deeply creative at our core. Thoughts arise and lead us in new directions, each one opening into something unknown. Life can feel uncertain, but creativity offers a way of moving with that uncertainty rather than against it.
Art has become a way of understanding my inner world. It shows me that what is outside often reflects something within. It is a way of making meaning, of expressing what cannot always be said. Let us not be afraid to make our mark.”
Her words speak to something essential in trauma work. Not everything can be accessed through language alone. Sometimes what has been held internally finds expression through image, symbol, colour, or movement.
This painting is not just an image for the site. It reflects the deeper intention of Trauma Warriors™. A place where women can begin, or continue, the process of coming back into relationship with themselves, with others, and with the world around them.
