We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful ROBIN HAMMAN. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with ROBIN below.
ROBIN, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
My books 100 Cups of Compassion and The Twisted Leash are both very meaningful projects that have been a lifetime in the making. My next book, Artrobstudios, my first business name, will be added to that trilogy. I never thought I would become an “author” although I think of myself as more of an Art Director in the context of my books. My books are part journal, part devotional and part art book with a little commentary about myself and my journey through divorce, addiction, and breast cancer thrown in. My first book 100 Cups of Compassion encompasses an Art in Compassion initiative I created years ago and then built upon it when I was working on my Arts In Medicine Master’s degree from the University of Florida. Decades ago, I started painting little cup paintings as my “doodle” when I wanted to loosen up my brush strokes. I noticed that these little images I worked on were showing up everywhere. One day while I was taking in the fact that I had been creating these things for years I decided to put them all into a comprehensive format which was to paint them on little 4 in x 4in canvases. That body of work grew and as it did, I decided to start giving them away. I gave them to friends and family at first (whether they wanted them or not) and then came to realize that this was a great way to give someone an original piece of artwork and brighten their day a little. When I started my Art In Compassion class at UF I expanded on the 100 Cups of Compassion paintings and created a website, FB page and IG account. I started to create the paintings in cafes and coffee shops, and I would give them away to people in passing. I would then blog about the experiences. After a while people started to contact me from all over the country asking for a painting. I was happy to oblige. I had several friends who were missionaries who asked for paintings and before I knew it the paintings were in other countries all around the world. I always documented my paintings by taking pictures of them and before long I had 100’s of pictures of each cup I painted. It was around the time of Covid that I feel “God breathed” and the idea to put them all in a book was born. I also had an online business doing pet portraits. These loose and colorful depictions of people’s pets also started to accumulate and following down the same road as my 100 cups of Compassion book, I created the Twisted Leash. In this art book, devotional, journal there are pictures of all the animals I have painted over the decades. There are also prayers, Bible passages and stories about Saints who loved and cared for their animal friends. I would say these bodies of work along with the books are the most meaningful to me because I believe they were divinely inspired and it is my intention that they bring a little hope, comfort and creativity to whoever’s hands they happen to fall into.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I was born and raised in Clearwater FL. When I was younger I was very creative but not an artist. My Mom and my teachers somehow decided that I excelled in creative writing and that remained the focus throughout my school age years. It wasn’t until my 20’s that I ventured into visual art and found that I had a passion for creating visually. I received a technical certificate for design and computer graphics and then went on to get my A.A., BA in Fine Art. My master’s degree came later in life when I was 48. In my 30’s with the onset of FaceBook and social media I started to paint, share and sell my works online. I started with ArtRobStudios which was my fine art business. Through ArtRobStudios I also spent over 30 years working with at risk youth, veterans with PTSD, people with addictions and folks with mental and physical disabilities. I used art throughout my life to help give people a sense of accomplishment and fun! I started The Twisted Leash in 2012. This was my pet portrait business and the 100 Cups of Compassion came about in 2013.
My work and my services offered can be found at the links below:
www.artrobstudios.com
www.thetwistedleash.com
www.100cupsofcompassion.com
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal/mission to use my art is twofold.
I enjoy teaching and I feel I have been given the gift of teaching to help uplift and build confidence in people within my community. Art can heal. Wether you are an accomplished artist or have never tried to create anything in your life, there is a place in the realm of creativity and art making for you. We are all artists. We all have the ability to create. Matter of fact, we have a NEED for it. It is built into our DNA. When you cook, clean, garden, work on cars, take photographs, build with legos, write your thoughts in a journal, sing while you are in the shower… (the list goes on) you are creating. I just give you the tools to harness that creativity when I teach.
I want people to understand that we were created by a loving God. The Bible is one of the most beautiful works of art there is. No matter your religion (or lack there of) your social status or your world views there is a God and he created us to love each other and to help each other. (which so often is really hard to do). There is so much hope and healing in the Bible. If one person picks it up for the first time in their life because they opened one of my books and my art and words prompted them to dig a little deeper into Holy scripture then I have done what I believe God has created me for.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Since the launch of the 100 Cups of Compassion book, I have had several strangers buy my book and then come back to me to share their personal journey’s or their loved one’s personal journeys through addiction and recovery. I have also had readers share their stories of their journey’s through breast cancer and divorce. I am always touched to hear these stories because it gives me a unique view into the perseverance and fight of the human spirit. I love it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.100cupsofcompassion.com
- Instagram: @100cups
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100cupsofcompassion
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinborland/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Artrobstudios1
- Other: www.thetwistedleash.com www.artrobstudios.com