Butterfly Project

The “Butterfly Project” is dedicated to my daughter BreAunna Hill who passed July 21, 2019, to suicide. In addition to dealing with mental illness, she inherited severe head trauma due to a car accident on May 19th, 2016. She lost her vision, speech, and memory for a duration of time. With her memory not fully coming back, that part was a constant struggle.  

 

The image to the right with the butterfly originated from us coming home from a 9 day stay in the trauma unit…

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3 days before, this butterfly had been lingering in the flowers in front of our home. It was distinct because it had a broken wing.

 

When we got out of the car walking up to the house it was flying around. Once it landed my son picked it up and placed it in my hand. From that point I began talking to my daughter about all she had been through and how she was no different then this butterfly. In short, even with the butterfly having a broken wing, it was still able to fly. At that moment she placed her finger on my hand and the butterfly crossed over to her.

Even though the butterfly project stemmed from the loss of my daughter through my personal healing utilizing art and art therapy it has grown into something so much more, the butterfly effect. The butterfly effect rests on the notion that the world is deeply interconnected, such that one small occurrence can influence a much larger complex system.

 

The same effect I wanted the butterfly correlation to have on my daughter, I wanted to share with others. I pursued a Cognitive Behavior Life Coach Accredited Certification which helped me understand the gateway of perception and how we think; utilizing Visual Arts to stimulate cognitive functions in children, teens, and adults at any stage in their lives including those with special needs.

 

Along with myself, I have 2 mentees Riana Greene and Keisha Renee who assist with this project. Our butterflies create a euphoria of visual art on a large scale in public spaces. With our current placement, as you can see in the articles before you, it has brought a community connection on personal levels in a short period of time. This is what we consider to be, “The Butterfly Project”.