Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Hake Brinckerhoff.
Hi Deborah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I was a child I was enchanted with the magic held by the pine forests that surrounded my home. It provided the perfect escape to distract me from my growing anxiety. Yet, their power wasn’t enough to shield me from the trauma locked in my body. With puberty, unacknowledged abuse started leaking out and calling the shots in ways I couldn’t understand. My beliefs of worthlessness and disregard for basic self respect began to dictate my choices and overruled the allure of the woods.
Later, attending a prestigious art school acted as a blessing and a curse. It allowed me to hide behind success and pretend I was something I was not, while also quietly nudging the secrets and lies closer to the surface. I was unaware of myself at a conscious level, but slowly my work began to reflect my denied truth until I was staring it in the face.
Over the next 3 decades, painting grounded me and provided an outlet where I could acknowledge my truth slowly and privately. Creative expression became a healing platform that enabled me to reconnect with my internal power, discard the need for external approval, and stop the cycle of abuse. I vowed to never play small again or compromise my truth for the sake of others’ comfort.
I found solace in the Arts and enjoyed having formal representation for the majority of my career. But in 2019, I left the galleries so that I could interact directly with people, build community and demystify what it means to be a working artist in today’s world.
I wanted to create something larger than myself or my own story and work – something that promotes a deeper connection to each other. By speaking openly about how my work helped me move through trauma, I became more proactive about inviting others to join me in telling their stories and encouraging healing. Trauma is universal, it has its own language. My hope is that with more people sharing their personal narratives we can affect greater change in a non threatening way.
Now, I specialize in helping people express and commemorate their life stories by creating a visual memoir that highlights and celebrates all of who we are as human beings. I’m not just looking at the parts about ourselves that we’re comfortable with – I’m talking about all of who we are – including the darkness. By bringing the shadow into the light we have an opportunity to integrate ourselves, become more whole and inspire transformation on a collective level.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would not describe it as a smooth road, but I also wouldn’t change a thing. My challenges eventually led to invaluable lessons that allowed me to become the person and artist I am today. Having walked my path through trauma and its difficulties, I have a special place in my heart for those making their way through the trenches toward healing and renewal. My goal is to offer a safe nonjudgmental way for people to express their stories with empowerment, grace and authenticity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Drawing and painting has always been about becoming more of myself. It consistently nudged me toward my inner world and with time, granted me access to genuine honesty and fuller self-acceptance. Visual art was my way of rediscovering and reconnecting to the divine and learning to practice unconditional love.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve incorporated personal objects and other mixed media materials into the foundation of my paintings. These tangible materials acted as representations of my lived experiences and allowed me to transform trauma into growth and healing.
It completely changed my life, so I began offering mixed media pieces as commissions to family, friends, and recently, the public. I use the same creative process to tell my own story or someone else’s. I call them “Soul Portraits” and they are meant to highlight and celebrate our individual narratives.
How Soul Portrait commissions work:
I ask people to gather meaningful personal materials that reflect the significant moments of their life (for better or worse). I use these materials to create the foundation of the piece. The collected odds and ends from their narrative serve to establish and represent the energy of who they’ve been and how they have arrived at exactly where they are in this moment. It is an amalgamation of lived history and is meant to reflect their life to date – like a visual memoir.
Examples of used materials include old letters, photos, journal entries, favorite books/poems/songs, movies, birth/death certificates, etc. The goal is to honor our lived experience tangibly by using paper materials as the primary layer of the painting and representing the many ways we become who we’ve become.
The finished piece encapsulates the textures and layers of who one has been, who they are, and who they are becoming.
It’s exciting to offer an original painting that helps express another person’s candid story. Usually when someone connects with one of my paintings it’s because some part of our emotional world overlaps. These pieces take it a step further with the use of physical materials from the lives of others, which allows me to honor our intricate and complicated stories. It instantly co-mingles our shared connection, but more importantly, captures their life’s poignant and meaningful moments.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Talk to people who are passionate about what they do, share your own passions and ask lots of questions. For practical resources – the Women’s Business Center of Utah, SBDC and SCORE are helpful.
I volunteer my time to demonstrate how to create your own Soul Portraits or commission, speak with wellness centers, therapy offices, and alternative integrated whole health providers about what I do.
Pricing:
- Soul Portrait Home creative Kit and online course: $300
- Prints of original artwork: $300 + (depending on size)
- “Shut Your Mouth” an art book about trauma, keeping secrets, feeling different, and regaining hope: $15 each
- Original oil paintings and Soul Portrait commissions are priced on size and time: $3,000 +
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dhakeart.com
- Instagram: @dhakeart
- Facebook: Deborah Hake Brinckerhoff
