An artist journey

My name is Marvina ILao

I am from Bensalem ,Pa and I have learned that as a creative person, we are constantly making art even when we don’t mean to because life is full of stories from experience after experience and with experience comes a deeper awareness of who we are and what we are naturally made to do.

My life was not peaches and cream like many. There was allot of imbalance around me growing up and it was very hard and lonely at times because in my home, a child was not heard and many times you felt unnoticed. So in those times of sorrow, abuse and pain.. I learned early on as a child how to create a different world. Like Beyonce’s Sasha Fierce.. mine was Matilda and Matilda was gorgeous, she was tough,sweet, smart as well and rich. I grew up in a middle-class home. Beautiful decored home. And learned different coping skills and ways to kinda escape.

A different world where I was in control and faced all kinds of fears and had allot of money lol.

I learned to also create tangible things I could pour my heart into and escape my well of grief like doll houses out of shoe boxes and duct tape. Made homemade furniture out of tea boxes and bottle tops for lamps and shower heads from spray nozzles so it could actually squirt water and paper dolls that could stand on their own and sew doll clothes and then learned how to make clothes for myself. Then from making clothes, I learned I was really good at using all kinds of fabric and making gowns as a teen and doing my very own neighborhood fashion shows in which my friends wore my designs and the parents gave their huge support. I felt so blessed. So empowered seeing all the smiles and not one no to my designs.

I also loved reading which was another way to escape my pains and find some comfort.

From reading came the ability to write playright’s and direct my own plays. My life as I started to grow taught me how to escape part of my grief and pour my energy into positive things.

So now an adult, life is basically immitating art and as a Christian Thriving Artist.. I intend to let God lead me in this constant artist’s journey because when he leads, I am learning things I never thought I’d see myself doing but only imagined. I am more than equipped than I thought and ready more than I feel to create art from within in my life journey as an evolving, growing and thriving Christian Artist. I can’t wait to see what else God allows me to do and become for him and for this world.

Lord, help me, help us continue to create content, products and inspiration from within and give us the motivation, inspiration, courage to be authentic and pure as we do so much more than we ever imagined.