The ground started to shake under Heather Aguilera’s feet as her life plans and relationships began to shift and change in ways she couldn’t have predicted. It was January 1st, and on this New Year’s Day, she was caught in a wave of uncertainty. “I was lying there, and the word that just kept coming to me was clarity,” said Heather. “I just needed clarity.” Her desire to see things clearly drew her out of bed and to the little frame windows in her room. She washed every window in her home that day, inside and out. She leaned into the symbolism in light and the truth, hope, and new beginnings it represents. “It was very symbolic,” she said. “I then decided to watch the sunrise. I just needed the light.” On January 2nd, she watched the sunrise, and it changed her life. “I always say I was saved by the sunrise,” she said. It was a new beginning. A chance to focus her time and energy on art, herself, and the light around her. “No matter how lonely or sad I felt, I never truly felt alone,” she said. “Because even if I couldn’t count on anyone else, I could count on myself, and I could count on the sun to rise in the morning.” She has held onto this mantra – If the sun will rise, so will I.
The healing capacity of the sun and art in her life was so significant that she wanted nothing more than to share that with the world. Thus, another new beginning, the beginning of art inspired by the sun. She is also inspired by other parts of nature, like blooming flowers and wildlife, but the hope she found when watching the sun rise is something she started to put to canvas. Heather describes working with a boldly colorful palette as communicating in her native language. She has leaned into artistic expression and healing through body art, canvas painting, drawing, murals, photography, floral design, and more. It has been an opportunity for her to put energy and passion into work that can bring peace, hope, and inspiration to the lives of others. She is led by the thought – “If someone can have one of my paintings in their house, then every day they would get to see that sunrise in my art.”
