We recently connected with Cheryl Cote and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cheryl, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I own an LLC, ICthings as a visually impaired artist. I am currently in an artist group. Martin Artisans Guild in Palm City, FL. The journey to reach this point has been challenging but oh so rewarding.
I lost an eye, at 6 months old to retinal blastoma. In 2010 I lost a significant portion of central vision in my remaining eye to a condition known as retinal edema. This condition prevents me from driving or reading written text which requires me to use a magnifying glass. I am currently under the care of a well know retinal oncologist in Miami. Every 3 weeks I have an appointment to undergo extensive diagnostics and have an injection into my eye to preserve my remaining vision.
Five years ago we moved to Palm City from St Augustine, F.L to be closer to Miami.
While searching for homes I came upon the perfect house. During the tour I stepped into one of the bedrooms and was overcome with emotions. I had given up my art years ago…but this room spoke to me…’THIS IS YOUR STUDIO’. So began my journey.
Today I have been in numerous galleries an shared shows, received a blue ribbon, was nominated for Visual Art for the Marti-Awards and had my first curated show HUMANITY THROUGH THE ARTIST EYE, March 4th-April 15 at the Court House Cultural Center Gallery. My goal is to encourage people to those with internal ,physical and emotional challenges.

Cheryl, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a visually impaired artist, I want my creations to touch people, to encourage and to give strength to keep pushing forward. The titles of each creation is meant to inspire and to draw the onlooker into my world, even if for a brief moment.
Moments of despair, depression, anxiety and hopelessness are things we may all experience at sometime or another. But those times are countered in our lives with hope, courage, persistence, triumph and happiness! My works of art are meant to vividly convey these life experiences in a visual presentation and inspire others to overcome their own personal challenges.
Always move forward.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After years of being a very detailed oriented artist I found myself with a serious vision loss in my only remaining eye. Driving was no longer an option nor was my favorite pass time reading books. Now I was lost and found myself wondering what was next. At this time my art was no longer an option either. After locating one of the best retinal and oncology Drs in Miami I began to have hope. I was diagnosed with Retinal Edema and preparing for a very serious surgery in my near future to repair a portion of the retina. Months of injections of a steroid in my eye to hold it steady until we were ready for surgery. My eye grew 3 different types of cataracts and my vision was like Tupperware. Now we were ready for the surgery.
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A few weeks of very intense days, mentally and physically we were ready to start the final journey. Today I have what I call, missing pixels in my central vision. While reading print my letters often move and regroup into very interesting words!
I was ready to find out what my new style of art would be and so I bought brushes, paints and large size canvas. This would be my New Beginning back into my world of art…..

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The first two years of retraining myself to this new style of painting was a struggle. Each and every day I would create a new painting. Learning to blend, mix colors and find the right brushes. I would post each painting on my Facebook page and wait to see what the responses would be. Born an raised in North Dakota I had so much encouragement from my friends back home. My sister-in-law in North Carolina shared my posts with her friends. Soon I had a following of encouraging remarks. And there were some seriously bad art! But each day I sat in front of a new canvas and tried a new subject and style. Soon I began to see progress and a certain style emerge. I was on a roll…

Contact Info:

• Instagram: martinihour14
• Facebook: Charlie Cote