Category: Cara’s Art Corner

  • Hi so today I’ll be talking about how I think writing is another form of therapeutic art expression

    Because it has also been another way to be creative but honest and express myself. It also has helped me get out of my emotions whatever I’m feeling so it’s also pretty therapeutic too.

    I’m not 100% an extrovert, always wasn’t, and still am not to this day so I sometimes have trouble expressing myself when I’m around people I either don’t know or don’t have much in common with, and have anxiety. So it’s a good thing and I am grateful for it in a way.

    I think it has helped me make sense of my thoughts, beliefs, who I am as a person, and what I believe in. So that’s a plus. It also has helped me with my mental health for some reason. If I don’t write anything down and get my feelings out I go crazy.

    Now that I’m in the middle of putting out my own book Living In Color and my co-illustrated book We Can Become Friends I have more confidence in my work and I hope everyone feels the same in themselves and their work.

  • By Cara Difiore

    Hi everyone! I feel like it’s been a hot min since I’ve been on here which I’m not apologizing for. I wanted to come back on here and blog about the update on me, my book, my artistic journey, what I’ve been creating, and how my passions and the things that bring me joy and comfort have been helping me get through daily life and challenging times.

    So with my artistic journey, I’ve been creating a lot some I made for myself to make me feel better, and one for my cousin who passed on recently is a memory tree. which I will show you at some point. I’ve been trying to create and keep busy as much as I can since I’m going through a lot at the moment professionally, mentally, and personally. What I mean by that is I’m worried about the future, I’m feeling bad about myself, and I’m worried about my personal life. My family and I are going through a big loss right now so it’s been causing a big scar I believe I’ve mentioned this before but I have a history of mental health stuff like anxiety and depression (My mental health/autism story is on the blog if you want to check that out) So, of course, it’s gonna affect me and not just my family. I’m forcing myself to move forward. I mean how do you? However, my work and art, in general, have been helping me get through life and keep going which is an accomplishment and a positive at the same time.

    More things that have been helping me get through me and keep going are not just my art and art in general but the support of my family but also my friends, my therapist, my cats, Bob Ross haha, watching/listening to my favorite artists, my class, journaling, and doing other things that bring me joy, happiness, and peace like going out, exercising, meditating, vent to my other loved ones and my therapist for support, spend time with my cats, taking time for me before I can for everyone else. Do you know why? It’s because they’ve been my therapeutic escapes they help me get whatever I’m feeling off my chest, get out of my head, and get to a happier place that isn’t reality. those things get me to a place I want to be and the feeling I want to have at the moment, I believe that’s the key to overcoming physical/emotional pain and grief. I believe that is and is going to get me through the next few days, weeks, months, and the rest of the year. If I can get through it so can you. If you are going through a tough time yourself just know to give it time, take time for yourself, do something that brings you comfort, and keep busy.

    Memory Tree, December 2022

    What I Used: pencil, paint, scissors, colored matte paper, and colored glitter paper

    This was for my cousin Jack who passed away recently and brought it to his wake. It is now with my aunt, uncle, and my two other cousins

    Falling Tears, January 2023

    What I Used: pencil, markers, and pen

    I drew this around the time my cousin passed away

    Snowflake Wonderland, January 2023

    What I Used: pencil, colored pencils, and markers

    Birthday Cat, January 2023

    I drew this for a friend for her birthday

    Sunset Dreams, February 2023

    Flower Girl, February 2023

    Flowing In Color, February 2023

    What I Used:

    • Paper
    • Canvas
    • Pencils
    • Paint
    • Paint Pens
    • Markers
    • Pens
    • Digital materials like Canva

    Artists That Bring Me Joy And I Love:

    • Bob Ross obviously haha
    • Dr. Suess
    • Jane Devenport
    • Dirtty Hippe Arts
    • Leah’s Art Is For Fun
    • Sam Rose Studios
    • Daisy Vibes Studios

    What I Like To Do When I’m Not Working:

    • Making cards
    • Cooking
    • Exercising like Trendmill, going on walks, yoga,
    • Taking my cat outside
    • Meditating
    • Reading
    • Listening to music/podcasts
    • Binge watch stuff
    • Hang out with my friends and family and my cats

  • By Cara Difiore

    Cara is our Art Director for The Newsmakers and Autisticana. She experiences our trip, then draws a beautiful illustration of her adventure. She is very talented and utilizes all sorts of mediums in her artistic expression! Here is the artwork she made for our virtual trip to Disney World:

    Original artwork "Disney" created by Cara Difiore. It's Cinderella's castle as interpreted by Cara
    Disney By Cara Difiore

    Edited by avanicole23

  • By Cara Difiore

    Creating art has always been a great pastime for me. Not only do I enjoy doing it, but I was also good at it and that made it even more fun. As I grew a bit older, it was my best form of therapy, it has helped me express my feelings when I didn’t know how else to express my emotions and get through challenging times. I’m grateful for my passion, talent, and a new career. I sell my work on my own Esty store Of the Flower Designs.

    I have decided to start my own art corner because I want to share my interests and talents with everyone and hope I can help everybody out there who needs this kind of therapy in their life. Growing up with a disability can have a positive outcome if you choose it. My choice is to express my emotions in art so I can inspire everyone out there in need.

    Photo of Cara, a white woman with long brown hair that is pulled back into a pony tail. She is wearing a navy blouse and ripped jean shorts. She is smiling in the photo and posing with her left arm on her hip. She is standing against a navy blue wall and standing next to a painting of a rainbow horse covered in different colored crystals.
    Photo of Cara standing next to a painting of a horse covered in crystals.

    Here’s one of the pieces I’ve done that I’m proud of. I didn’t paint it, but I did crystalize it which brings positive energy to this one. Crystalizing this piece with a hot glue gun and glass crystals with my hands. This is very detailed work, that takes a lot of patience and took me weeks, but the pay off is priceless. View our work on crystalineart.com (coming soon!).

    A painting inspired by Disney's Tangled. It features Rapunzel with her long blonde hair. She is painting a beautiful work with gold stars and a blue, purple, and pink.
    I created this piece when I was inspired by a photo I saw on the Internet. This was also inspired by
    one of my favorite movies, Disney’s Tangled

    A painting by Cara of a pond with a green bamboo shoot pouring water into the pond. The pond is surrounded by a pile of rocks and pink flowers. In the background, the sky is a pretty gradient of pink and yellow.
    A painting of a bamboo pond with some rocks and flowers
    Bee painting
    Daisy watercolor painting
    Beach painting
    Sunflower painting
    Black cat watercolor painting
    (this was actually inspired by my cat Manny)
    Flower painting
    Egg painting
    Feather drawing
    Dress drawing