Connect
To Top

Art & Life with Dani Ambuel

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Ambuel.

Dani, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I suppose art has always been a part of my life: an innate gift that was active in my childhood. I would spend hours drawing stories about my little make-believe characters, and also hid in my church’s resource room to make glittery creations to hang in my room. Art was the one subject I anticipated with such excitement, always bugging the teachers about the next time we would have it.

As I reflect, art took me out of the daily world and into a limitless realm of wonder where anything stirring in my mind was possible. Unfortunately, my creativity came to a halt for 10 years when I was immersed in an eating disorder. As my journey toward healing began, my gifted passion slowly returned. Creating again significantly helped me move out of a destructive mode of perfectionism and into a life of freedom to express myself once again.
My art is not perfect, but it reflects the heart of who I am.

It sings a song. It tells a story unique to me alone, which I find to be a priceless gift that no man can buy.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
As an artist in recovery from an adolescent eating disorder, most of my artwork is based off of biblical scripture that speaks of freedom, healing, and redemption in Jesus Christ. I am also deeply inspired by the desert, as it has been the place that I have received my healing. Though some view the wilderness terrain as a sun scorched wasteland, I have learned to find diamonds in the desert. I enjoy using vibrant colors to reflect the radiancy of the desert, as it has been my sacred place of meeting my Creator and facing my true self. I also am known for my butterflies, as I find them to be such a significant symbol of new life and transformation in my life.

I also reproduce my paintings and illustrations into notecards with an underlying mission to elevate awareness of the power that the mouth holds. When I entered residential treatment in 2014, I became aware of the power that the mouth holds. I saw how the negative words I fed myself translated to my thoughts, further creating the destructive habits I was immersed in. As I learned to accept truth and encouragement that others had to give me about the young woman I am, I started to speak the same words over myself. Through my experience with both the positive and damaging effects of words, I am fueled with inspiration to use my art to motivate others to influence minds and hearts with words of life.

I donate my notecards to a local faith-based counseling center and sell them at the residential addiction treatment center I work for. It is tremendously rewarding to see residents use my cards to encourage one another. My long-term goal is to continue to build my notecard line into a non-profit ministry, where the proceeds will be donated as scholarships for those needing financial assistance towards entering treatment for eating disorders. The more life-giving words that permeate our world, the more positive change will take place.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can find my work on my website www.creationsbyda.com or on my Etsy site www.creationsbyda.etsy.com. I am always open to commissions, collaborations and wholesale opportunities.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in