We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Rabenstein a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

My eyesight is my biggest obstacles. My eyesight has more than its fair share of challenges that I am constantly adapting to. I have to use extra lights, magnification aids, special safety measures, blind cane, audial aids for reading, organized placement of items, public transport (along with friends and family), and so many other things to do everyday things. I love the work and art that I do, so these things don’t feel like adaptations, they just feel like the way. It’s also challenging to recognize my own self-worth. It is a big challenge for me to need to ask/receive help with so many things, to have to ask for rides everywhere, to have my family make countless sacrifices on my behalf.

I don’t know what the future looks like, and not just because I’m physically losing the ability to see, but because the path I am on has never been seen before, its being created as I speak.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Everything I learned and offer to others is something I sought out for myself and became something I could share back to others. I felt like if it helped me, it may be able to help others. I also feel like there is not one thing that has been the answer to everything, so I enjoy that I have filled my “toolbox” up with a variety of “tools.”

I was 27 years old, with a set of newborn twins, when we got the news that I am losing my eyesight to a disease called Stargardts. It is a hereditary juvenile form of macular degeneration that takes away the central vision. With the limits of my eyesight and our growing family I started making shifts in the work I did. A couple of years later we had a second set of twins and I felt motivated to be the good person that I feel my children deserved. It led me on a path of personal growth, spiritual healing, healthy shifts, and exploring and experimenting with art.

I found that creating art did so much for me. It was a way to let go, express myself, make beautiful things, share with others, and even make an income. I started with acrylic on canvas and the more I discovered “me” the more I found my own niche with art. I do henna on people, to stain wood items, natural hide drums, and also paint henna style on glass, and my favorite…intuitively created henna painted dru.ms. I also got into the word of stain glassing. I create unique pieces and have a special line of Goddesses that I create that represent the Goddess within each woman. I even found holding space for people to create art was just as healing as other sessions I offered.

Movement has also been a part of my journey through yoga, karate, and belly dancing. I find these things all contribute to me being able to express myself, get to know myself, and tune in even more to how i feel as opposed to how things look. I lead a chair yoga for the blind and vision impaired, holding time for supportive conversations and some movement. When i became a yoga instructor i was afraid I couldn’t since I wouldn’t be able to see the details in what others were doing, turns out it actually helped me in verbal cuing and guiding them to tune into their body and how things feel. Karate has been something to push me in ways I never thought to do. Learning more about my body, dedication, self-defense, and even embrace my blind cane as a tool to help me get around and protect myself. Belly dancing has helped me feel into my body and my feminine feelings even deeper. I do not let my eyesight get in the way, and I’m fortunate that my family partakes in some of these activities with me! My girls have done a variety of belly dancing performances with me, and all of my kids do karate with me as well!

I feel the arts and community are an important part in my happiness. I volunteer time as a part of the Dillsburg Arts Council where I focus on finding and helping local artist get the support they need and brining the community closer to the wide range of arts that are out there.

What I do varies from day to day, week to week, season to season, and year to year. I am a Reiki Master/teacher, certified reflexologist, shamanic practitioner, sound healing practitioner, womans retreat facilitator, modern day Mystic Priestess, henna artist, stained glass artist, painter, yoga teacher, and offer private sessions, private events, public events, and more. What excites me is being able to blend things for unique experiences, like yoga paint parties and henna sound immersions.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew earlier how to get help. To feel that I am worth receiving help, to know where to look, to know how to ask, and to feel comfortable to receive. Having love for myself is the root of these things, and something I am honestly still working at. Finding supportive friends, family, collaborators, organizations are out there, it’s just a matter of stepping out to find them. With my vision impairment I found resources with the Bureau for the Blind and Vision Impaired which helped me with technology aids, low vision exams and aids, mobility coaching, home living aids, and working aids. Each step I made new connections and the options for help just kept branching out. I am still working on learning how to ask for help, though I’d like to say I’m getting better at that (I can feel the look some are giving me right now as they read that part…really, I am improving). Receiving help is the latest skill I’m homing in on. It comes naturally to humbly deflect complements, sharing credit, and to surrender to receiving help. I often get caught up in the, “I can do anything on my own,” that I forget allowing others to help is sometimes what I need to do in order to be successful.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Show people that they can create a life they love. I love to inspire and encourage people to have fun, do things they love, look at positive perspectives, and enjoy their life. Sometimes this happens by just listening to someone, and as they talk they come across their own answers, sometimes by asking questions for them to reflect on, sometimes doing a blended healing session to help guide them on their way, sometimes a creative painting experience, sometimes an event that dives in deep for personal growth and healing, and sometimes by just being in the moment, having fun, venting, crying, or whatever is needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SpiritualHeArtsLLC.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.rabenstein.90