Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christy Woods. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Christy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

From a young age, I have always had a deep passion for art. This love led me to pursue a career as a commercial graphic designer and marketer in the corporate world for a span of 12 years.

However, past trauma and the demands of this job eventually took a toll on my mental health. Burnout, anxiety, and the resulting 60% of hair loss became significant issues in my life. Realizing that I needed help, I made the courageous decision to quit my job and embark on my healing journey.

During this time, I was diagnosed with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and underwent a few months of intensive inpatient trauma therapy. It was during this program that art therapy became a crucial outlet for me to express myself and cope with my mental health challenges and chronic pain. (Brain injury, CPTSD, severe anxiety, major depression disorder, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, insomnia, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain issues.)

Inspired by my newfound love for art therapy and the power of creative expression, I discovered enamel pin collecting through a subscription box called beatbox. As I connected with various artists through this medium, I began to wonder why I couldn’t create my own designs. With some battles of imposter syndrome, I decided to take a leap of faith and launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of my pins. To my surprise, I not only reached my goal of $300 but ended up raising almost $6000 without an audience. This marked the birth of EVOL-EYE co.

The driving force behind EVOL-EYE co. is the belief that many individuals facing struggles often feel isolated and alone. With this in mind, all my designs are inspired by mental health and carry a mission of shining light in dark places and each wearable reminder serves as a testament that you are never alone in your journey. A portion of every sale is donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an organization dedicated to providing hope, recovery, wellness, and combating the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Through EVOL-EYE co., I aspire to make a positive impact by spreading awareness, promoting empathy, and supporting those affected by mental health. By sharing my own experiences and offering wearable reminders of solidarity, I hope to contribute to a world where no one feels alone in their struggles.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love the sense of community within both the art and mental health world I can’t express how much I love when others connect with my art and share their stories with me.

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

My life has always been a story of resilience. When I was 18 months old I had a bran injury resulting in speech therapy all my life, short term memory, and more. I got through childhood bullying, childhood trauma, an 8 year abusive relationship and all of my mental health and chronic pain diagnosis. After going through that first inpatient trauma treatment program I’ve gone through 8 more outpatient programs in the last 5 years focused on DBT and CBT. Which have helped me a lot. I’ve also been though EMDR therapy and I continue to focus on rewiring my brain with weekly trauma based therapist and work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evoleye.co/
• Instagram: @evoleye
• Other: TikTok @evoleye

Image Credits
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