Meet Aja Terwilliger-pigott

We recently connected with Aja Terwilliger-pigott and have shared our conversation below.

Aja, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I grew up primarily with a single mom who had to provide for herself and I. She worked extremely hard and most often had 2 jobs until she went back to school at the age of 50 to get her Masters degree in Special Education. She didn’t make much money and her and my dad instilled in me that I would have to start working if I wanted certain things. I got a job at a concession stand when I was in middle school and I’ve been working ever since. When it came time to apply to college my parents let me know that I’d have to get scholarships and student aid which I did on my own. I’m now a licensed acupuncturist/ painter and continuing my education currently to get my doctorate degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I have my mom and dad to thank for instilling this work ethic in me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a licensed acupuncturist by day and painter by night. I work primarily as an acupuncturist but also love to paint and often get commissioned to paint for people and/or invited to be a part of art shows. I absolutely love what I do as an acupuncturist which is helping people. I truly believe that Traditional Chinese Medicine has the ability to heal (not cure) almost anything. There is such in depth spirituality AND science behind it which makes it truly unique. As far as we know Chinese Medicine has been around for about 2,000 years and ancient practitioners were able to map out and study the human body in a way that has been proven true by Western Medicine today. There is an innate Mind, Body, Spirit connection in Chine Medicine which is so needed in our world today. I am so grateful that I get to share this medicine with others and that I have patients who believe in the medicine because they have/ are seeing it work in their lives.
In regards to painting, I love how connected I feel to myself and to spirit when I’m truly in the process. It’s a meditative experience for me and it’s also a way for me to connect to both of my parents who both died in the last 14 months. I have painted portraits of them which I feel capture their spirits and help me to feel close to both of them.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I think having a good work ethic, having long term sobriety and the spirituality I’ve developed in the process as well as having the qualities of creativity passed down to me from my ancestors have helped me to get where I am today. I have been in a program of recovery for almost 15 years and I’ve truly grown up and found out who I am through the process. I think this has helped me to have a stronger connection to my patients because I have been through a lot of suffering in my past and have gotten to experience the other side of that suffering. I am grateful to my grandparents who were both artists and who inspired me as a child to paint and to express myself creatively.
The advice I would give to anyone who is early in their journey is to use the difficulties and the darkness that you’ve been through to your advantage. Express that in your work and in your creativity. It has been such an outlet for me in times of grief and sadness and I believe we can use these emotions that are often viewed as “negative” to help us create beauty.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My parents always allowed me to express myself and encouraged me to be myself. From a young age I would dance around and sing and paint and perform for my family. I remember being in high school and deciding I wanted to paint a giant tree on my bedroom wall and my mom said, “Go for it”. My mom and I didn’t always get along when I was growing up because I was defiant and rebellious but she did the best with what she had. She instilled values like honesty and taking responsibility for my actions which were incredibly annoying as a teenager but now I view them as some of my greatest assets. My dad was more free and easy going and he always encouraged me to do what I loved. He was a musician and was incredibly creative in that way and I believe I also get my creativity (and rebellious nature) from him. Even though both of my parents passed away in the last year and it has been the most challenging period of my life, they still continue to speak to me and give me messages from the other side. When I doubt myself or think I can’t do something I hear my dads voice saying, “Just do it, Just go, Travel, Do what you love”. Even from beyond the grave they’re teaching me to persevere and to keep going through the toughest times. They would be proud of who I am today and who I am becoming as an adult and I have them to thank for my character.

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Image Credits

Chris Frara

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