Oct. 16, 2025
From Trauma to Triumph: Cheri Carandanis's Artistic Awakening
Send us a text In this inspiring episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we are joined by Cheri Carandanis, a former nurse turned artist who shares her remarkable journey of healing through creativity. After a 25-year career in nursing, including serving as a critical care flight nurse during wartime, Cheri's life took a drastic turn following two brain injuries that forced her to retire. Struggling with her identity and purpose, she discovered the transformative power of art as a means o...
In this inspiring episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we are joined by Cheri Carandanis, a former nurse turned artist who shares her remarkable journey of healing through creativity. After a 25-year career in nursing, including serving as a critical care flight nurse during wartime, Cheri's life took a drastic turn following two brain injuries that forced her to retire. Struggling with her identity and purpose, she discovered the transformative power of art as a means of recovery. Cheri opens up about her emotional and spiritual healing process, illustrating how creativity became her lifeline. As an intuitive abstract painter, she discusses the role of intuition in her art and how she translates complex emotions like grief and loss into her work. Listeners will be moved by Cheri's heartfelt message of hope, resilience, and the importance of community in the healing journey. Tune in to learn how embracing creativity can lead to profound personal transformation and connection.
www.carandanisfineart.com
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Welcome to the Living the Dream podcast with Curveball. if you believe you can achieve. Welcome to the Living the Dream with Curveball podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate and inspire. Today I am joined by former nurse turned artist Cherie Karen Daz.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>That's right.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Yeah. It's kind of tough, but I got it. But we're going to be talking to her today about how an injury forced her to leave the nursing field that she loved and how she was able to find healing through art. We're going to be talking to her about that and everything that she's up to and everything that she's going to be up to. So, Cherie, thank you so much for joining me.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Thank you. Curveball. It's I'm looking forward to our conversation. I think it'll be a good one.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>All right. I live in Portland, Oregon. I'm married with two boys. Ah, both boys are in college. So away from home, I started as a nurse. I had a 25 year long career as a nurse. And at that beginning of that career I was ah, in the Air Force. And so, I was trained in the ICU and more specially trained as a critical care flight nurse. so that came into play when September 11th happened and I was deployed, to Afghanistan. And we were able to, bring ICU level care closer to the front line. And that was the first time that that was able to actually, be put to the test to see if this CCAP program, could work during wartime situation. and it did. And it was successful. So I was really proud to be a part of that. And it was such an honor for me to serve our troops, in that way and to just do everything we could to, to get them home safely. and after about six years in the military, I decided to separate from the military as my husband and I wanted to have our children and I just didn't want to face deployment with children. I'd seen so many of my friends do that and it just for me would have been really difficult, to leave the babies. So I did separate and we started, to have our children, our two boys, and we moved to Portland, Oregon. And I fell into hospice nursing. I knew that I was kind of getting burnt out of the ICU scene and the high adrenaline of the flight, nursing and so with no plans in mind to be in hospice, I did fall into hospice Work and I did that for about 15 years and that was beautiful. I really, really enjoyed my time as a hospice nurse and actually got my master's degree during that time and became a hospice nurse manager and. And took care of the nurses that took care of our patients. So that was another detour in life that I didn't know that I would ever take. But so glad, so glad that that happened. And worked with some amazing hospice staff. And then in 2019 I suffered two brain injuries and they were six months apart. And unfortunately the fallout from the brain injuries led me to having to retire, my nursing license.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>And so that was devastating. It was devastating to me to just kind of lose my whole identity and who I thought I was and what I thought I could offer the world as far as purpose and gifts. And fell into some dark times and trying to rehab a brain that was broken. And that was very a slow process.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>the. The brain can heal and it's very There is neuroplasticity but it just takes time for it to heal and got to keep giving it the right environment to heal. And so through that process I found that I had a left sided brain injury. And so the doctors were encouraging me to try to find ways to fire up the right side that was not injured. And so when I would ask what that meant, they said creativity and mindfulness and intuition and presence. And those were not places I lived in in my previous life. And so it was hard, it was really hard to try to figure out how to incorporate that into my life. But m. I fell into painting. I wasn't really creative before. I was just very analytical. Love science, love researching things, love taking care, medical settings. And So creativity was new to me and I found that it actually was the road back to my healing. And it continues today. And so I paint on large surfaces and I paint abstractly. So it's an intuitive abstract painter. That's the kind of painting I do. And I think that it helped me find like who I really was. creativity has an amazing and beautiful way of unlocking who we are and. And getting to know our intuitive selves. And it also helped me reconnect with people because abstract painting, such a connector. You know, people can look at a piece of art and, and feel something about it. And so I love that part of what I do.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>And so at the beginning obviously when I first started painting, it Wasn't pretty. It didn't look nice. It was just therapy for me. but then friends and family started to say that, you know, you're getting better at this. Maybe you should sell some of your art. and so in 2023, I did, decide to start a business. And so that's when Karen Danis Fine Art started. And it's been amazing. It's been amazing. I. I haven't looked back. And so, I'm a professional artist now, which is hard to believe, but, so grateful, so grateful that I did find this path.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, congratulations. Kind of expand on how or help you heal, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Yeah, I think creativity is. You know, I used to think of creativity as the output of something.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Like I, I make something and then, people get to say if they like it or not. and that seemed performative to me, and there seemed to be a lot of pressure around that. but what creativity really is for me now is, a relationship with my intuition, with the seed of my soul, like who I truly am. And what I discovered in going to that place of. And the way I do that is through just prayer and meditation and quieting, that inner critic in our minds, and just getting in touch with who we were created to be. And I realized that, I was really performing in this world and I was, meeting other people's expectations of what they thought I should do and be. And, so creativity really helped me, like you said, not on just a physical level, because creativity is such a powerful unlocking for our physical ailments. I just know that when we can kind of get into that place of flow, like writers will, you know, describe being in flow as they write. Dancers, singers, musicians, songwriters, we all can experience this flow. And for me, I believe that's just when we tap into something divine and something that God gets to participate in with us.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>And, whenever we can tap into that kind of energy, it's going to heal us on every level. And so I don't know that I would have understood that necessarily before, but now having experienced it, I know that that's how, my brain injury is healing and getting better. And psychologically I came out of depression and anxiety, and, you know, spiritually, it's like when we can be creative and, and exist in that space, you just feel some.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>So much love. You just feel so much love and so much acceptance. And there isn't any judgment.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>There isn't any, you know, critiquing, going on it's just this, flow of love and, of being exactly who I am and it being totally safe and totally accepted. And so I think when we allow ourselves to go into those places and give our. Ourselves time and space to be creative, it is going to heal us on every level of our existence as humans.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, talk about how it was when, when you realized that art is not just therapy, for you, it's your calling. Describe that.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>I think I realized that when other people started to see my art and they would have experiences with it, like they were able to describe to me what they felt, or what they were reminded of, or even the title of a work would stir something inside of them. And that's when I realized, you know, this isn't just for me. Maybe this is something that I can step back into some purpose. Maybe I can help others realize that healing is available to them through creativity. Because I was not creative. I didn't even know that was a part of who I was. But I know now that it's a part of all of us. Every single person, has a creativity about them, and it's just expressed in different ways. And often we discover it at different times in our lives.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Some people discovered it's very young children, and others discover it later in life. but we all do have that creative component. And I think that's kind of what switched it into purpose for me. and this calling was that I had a story to share, but I also have, through my art, a message of, of hope. That's. That. That doesn't look pretty or, or all wrapped up, you know, with a bow. It's, it. It's, It's healing that's gone through fire. It's healing that's gritty. and I think that's just real. I think that's how most of us heal it. It doesn't always look a certain way.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>It's messy, it's painful. but healing, when you go through that kind of fire, that's. That's real and that's, it's lasting. It's a sustainable type of healing. and so I think that's when it turned into my calling was, not only it's. It's. It's like I get a double blessing in it because it heals me.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>It makes me feel safe, so happy when I'm at the canvas and I'm able to paint. But then on the other side of it, it can bless others. And, they can see themselves in it. They can see parts of their lives in it and hopefully bring some hope and some healing to them too.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, explain to the listeners how you translate complex emotions such as grief, loss and rebirth into your art.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Grief. So grief, I, I, It's a big one for me. So my art, as I said, is intuitive and it is abstract. And so a lot of my brush strokes, color, choices, the. Even the mediums I use, whether it's acrylic or an oil stick or even some know, modeling paste to. To make the. The surface of the canvas rough. they're all choices reflecting how I'm feeling. And grief is a huge part of my, my art now. because in 2023, which is probably the main reason I started to make it, make this into a business and into a, a ministry, in essence is because I lost my father tragically in 2023. He, lived here in my neighborhood with my mom and just had a great relationship, with them being so close by. And he loved to go fishing. And so one weekend him and my mom went in their RV and they went to the Washington coast to go fishing and a sneaker wave just took him off of the jetty and. And killed him. And so, Grief has been a, A huge part of healing and processing for me in the last couple of years. And it is really, interesting to see how it has been expressed in my paintings because, you know, grief can be so powerful and.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>And dark almost. And. And I do notice that there's this darkness in my paintings. And often it's in the background or in a mark that is. That overwhelms the composition. But that grief is always balanced out with light and the contrast to dark, which I think it just resonates hope that, you know, we can go through the heaviest of grief and you know, not just losing my dad, but I felt like I even lost myself in my brain injury. I didn't. Didn't know who I was anymore. I didn't know what value I brought to the world. but grief is a, powerful journey that is painful. And some days you feel like you're never going to come out of it. but there is always hope. And so I think my paintings reflect, that hope that is in balance with grief, and pain and trauma and loss. And so, I, I really do appreciate that lesson that my paintings do teach me, is that there is always light. There is always light that emerges from the darkness.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Talk about the role that intuition plays in your painting process.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Intuition, I have discovered, is a relationship that I neglected for most of my life. It's that tiny voice inside of me, that is still and small.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>When you don't develop a relationship with it and in learning how to heal and, come back into myself and quieting my mind and spending some time just sitting with my soul, that's when that intuition, that voice, gets louder. And in my art, intuition drives all of it. I. It tells me what color, what stroke, what mark to make next. when I am not connected to my intuition and I start using my brain and in my thoughts to create art, it never lands. It. It just doesn't connect. I don't enjoy it. I. I don't see. I don't like what I see on the canvas. It looks disconnected to me. and that's.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>That's an indication to me that I need to return and just return to me, take a beat and settle back down and get, back into my heart and into my soul.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>And the more I do that, the more I practice my relationship with intuition, because that. That relationship's just like any other. The more you spend time with it and the more, you get to know that voice, the more you trust it. And so not only does it lead me in my art process, it leads me in my life. I know when there's decisions to be made.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>I know when, what to say yes to, what to say no to. And often I, you know, I. I am stubborn and I am a slow learner sometimes, and I go right back up into my head and I try to make decisions out of the headspace, and that just always feels disconnected to me. It feels. Doesn't feel true and doesn't carry that authenticity, with it. But when I use my intuition, there's just this knowing there's a piece that comes with that. And so I am continuing my relationship, with my intuition and trying to, find way to connect with it more and, so that I can trust it more. I mean, that's.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>That's what it comes down to. But it is a process and it takes work. And I'm. I'm grateful I, I have discovered that at this point, but I sure wish I would have had it earlier in life.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, for somebody out there who. Who might be looking to use creativity as a form of healing, and they have no, no art background, what. What advice would you give them?
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> Cherie Karen Daz>The first thing I would say is to try to spend some time, release any of that judgment in Our head. Because if I sat down and I did, I sat down, I didn't know anything about art. I didn't know anything about colors. I didn't know anything. And the first time I sat down and put paint to a cardboard box, because that's all I had at the time. I judged it, I was like, oh, that's awful.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>It's ugly. That's a terrible color. You know? And that would have shut me down so quickly. And it did. I. I just thought, no, this. I. I'm not good at this. This isn't something I can ever be good at. But what I learned was I was. I needed to quiet that voice. I needed to get rid of that judgment and that crit, that critique in my head.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>And so the first step is to just be kind to yourself and let your body tell you what marks to make and just trust it. Just go with it. Just even sitting down with a notebook and some pens and pencils, you don't need any fancy supplies. Just start to make marks and notice what your body enjoys in mark making. Is it scribbling? Is it loops? Is it, writing like, you know, frenetic writing? Is it circles? is it dash marks? Just.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Just play, you know, Try to go back into your childlike self and get the crayons out and just play and just notice. Just notice. What do I enjoy doing? What marks do I enjoy making? What colors do I go to? And that can be different every time you sit down to create. And I think it would be, you know, don't put an expectation of, I have to sit here for an hour and do this five minutes.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Just taking five minutes. And if it's not art writing, just writing stream of consciousness, you know, just writing whatever comes to your mind with no judgment and no, expectation that you'd show it to anyone to just do it for yourself. And I think that practice of going back and doing this, creative practice, whether it's writing, drawing, painting, dancing, songwriting, whatever it is, I think it's that practice of starting very simple and small with no expectations of, anyone else seeing it or hearing it. and then over time, you start to learn. Your intuition tells you what you like and what message is trying to come out.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>And it doesn't have to be some big, deep message.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Sometimes it's just, you like to scribble because there's some things inside of you that you need to process, and it comes out as scribbles. But if you can take a step back, there's beauty in those scribbles. There's beauty in that line work. and so I would just say start small. Start without expecting anyone to ever see it and to trust your intuition. Just know that whatever lands is what's coming from inside of you and that it's all beautiful.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Tell us about any upcoming projects or current projects that you're working on that listeners need to be aware of.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>right now I am just, in the beginning stages of thinking about writing a book, which is exciting to me. I have a couple of, exhibits that I am applying to that I, would, I would be so excited to be a part of here in Portland, Oregon. but I think the biggest project coming up is a holiday release that I will be doing. So I'm working on a holiday collection that I'll be releasing. and then probably early in the year of 2026, I will host my own solo art show here in Portland. So, a lot of things coming up, but very exciting.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, so listeners can keep up with everything that you're up to and going to be up to. Throw out your contact info.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Sure. You can find me online. I have a website, it's karendanis fine art.com and I'm also very active on Instagram and Facebook and those handles are the same. It's Karen Danis Fine Art. also on my website you can see an email, a place to sign up for my newsletters. And you can keep up with what I'm doing and where my exhibits are going to be showing. And so I like to keep in touch that way too.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Okay, well, close this out with some final thoughts. maybe if that was something I forgot to touch on, that you would like to touch on any final thoughts you have for the listeners and also let the listeners know what message you hope that your story and art will leave with somebody, that might be struggling.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Yes. I want people to know that they are not alone. We are not created to do this life alone, and that they are not alone. and if you don't have community, if you don't have people in your life, just, just take one step forward towards a community or a person. And, connection is there, waiting. so make sure that you lean into your communities and into the people that love you, in your life.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>The next thing I want people to know is that healing is possible. And I know that in the dark times and in the thick of the pain or loss, it might seem like you're just never gonna experience healing again. And for Me, I thought healing meant I would go back to the way I was, and that didn't happen. my brain did not go back to the way it was. And today I couldn't be more grateful for that outcome. I'm so glad I didn't go back to the way I was. But I could have never known how my brain would have healed to where it is now. And to. For me to experience and see the world the way I do now, it's just so. It's just so much richer.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>And, I'm so grateful. so even though we might not know and might not know what the road is ahead or the outcomes that are there, just know that, healing is possible and that over time it will come. but I do encourage anyone that is struggling to, to give creativity a try. and it really can look like so many things. there's so many things you can put your hands, your mind to and, just give it a shot and see the power that lies in creativity, the healing that lies in creativity.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>So many times, you know, we, we know scientifically, I mean, art therapy is a thing where people are in pain and, they're given art to do and, and it can just touch parts of the brain, that can help with pain. And so, just trusting that there is science out there, there is a lot of knowledge out there, but what it takes is just for you to trust that it is something that can help you. And so creativity is something that I would have never considered as a part of my healing.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Especially as a nurse of 25 years, I just never considered that would be a part of my healing journey. but it has been the secret sauce to my healing journey. It's, it's what's gotten me here today. And so I just offer hope and I offer, ah, just. I just want people to never forget that, they are not alone and that there is community for them. they just maybe just need to take that tiny step towards it.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>All right, ladies and gentlemen, for more information on Cherie and everything that she's up to, Visit Karen Danis fine art.com Please be sure to follow rate Review Share this episode to as many people as possible, especially people that might be struggling, needing healing and they can use creativity. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform and go to www.craveball337.com for more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball podcast and to leave feedback or any suggestions you have on the show. Thank you for listening and supporting the show and Sheree, thank you for all that you're doing to make the world a better place with your ministry. And thank you for joining me.
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> Cherie Karen Daz>Thank you, Curveball. I really do appreciate you.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>For more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball Podcast, visit www.craveball337.com until next time, keep living the dream.
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