Meet Pamela McCreight

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Pamela McCreight. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Pamela below.

Pamela, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience, for me, isn’t just about bouncing back—it’s about rising with intention, transforming pain into purpose, and refusing to let hardship define the story’s ending. I’m currently walking through a divorce, and rather than letting it break me, I’ve chosen to let it remake me. What’s pulling me through is the opportunity to be radically honest with myself—peeling back every layer, examining every corner, and learning to love myself through it all. That’s the real work: staying open-hearted when life tries to close you down.

Much of this strength comes from the roots I grew up with. My father is over 30 years sober—a living reminder that change is possible at any moment. My mother has spent her life learning to open up emotionally after losing her sister at a very young age. Watching them lean on each other through their own storms became my blueprint for resilience. They didn’t pretend life was easy—they just kept showing up for each other. That imprinted on me deeply.

But the habit that sustains me most is this quiet mantra I whisper to myself when the world feels too heavy: This is just a moment in time. I trust the rhythm of life—its ups and downs—and even when I’m in the valley, I know an uphill climb is coming. That flicker of hope has never failed me.

As an artist and teacher, I channel this resilience into everything I create and share. Every setback becomes a new palette. Every scar, a brushstroke. I don’t just survive—I alchemize.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a teaching artist, storyteller, and creative guide—devoted to the belief that art is not just something we make; it’s something that can remake us. My professional journey has taken me down many paths, but the golden thread running through it all is this: I use art to help others find their voice, reclaim their sense of self, and begin to heal.

Through my business, Vagabond Canvas, I offer community art workshops and paint nights that invite people of all ages to tap into their imagination and connect through shared creative experiences. I specialize in trauma-informed art practices—creating safe, welcoming spaces for self-expression, especially for those who’ve weathered emotional storms. That mission has brought me into classrooms, libraries, community centers, and nonprofit programs throughout Colorado.

One of my proudest chapters was teaching through the Bemis School of Art at Colorado College, where I designed classes that helped both children and adults use art as a tool for resilience and reconnection. I’ve also volunteered with organizations like Face to Face Colorado, supporting children and families affected by cleft lip and palate through therapeutic artmaking, and the U.S. Olympic Training Center, where I developed a program to help Olympians process the emotional demands of intense training and time away from loved ones. I remain a strong advocate for bringing accessible art experiences to underserved communities, most recently through youth programs at the YMCA and neighborhood outreach initiatives.

Currently, I serve as the K–5 Art Teacher at Scott Elementary in Colorado Springs, where I have the daily honor of guiding young minds through the magic of mark-making, storytelling, and self-discovery. Becoming a teacher has been a dream of mine since childhood, and each day I step into the classroom feels like coming home to something I’ve always known. To me, it’s not just about making beautiful art—it’s about helping students understand that they are art, and their voice matters.

Outside the classroom, I continue to develop my own collections of emotionally expressive, symbol-rich paintings that explore memory, transformation, abstraction, and emotive color. My current series, Westbound Kaleidoscope, uses light, shadow, and tonal shifts to create mood and mystery. I intentionally leave space for viewers to project their own meaning—inviting them to engage with the work in a personal, intuitive way. My paintings often reflect the quiet strength of survival and the aching beauty found in life’s in-between spaces.

I’m also in the early stages of producing art instructional videos and downloadable lesson plans for parents, teachers, and fellow creatives—a way to expand the reach of Vagabond Canvas and meet the growing need for accessible, soulful art education. I’ve discovered that many people long for access to those in-between spaces—where art becomes a tool for healing, reflection, and freedom.

Whether I’m working with children in public schools or leading adults through a cathartic creative journey, my work is always rooted in one core belief: Art can light the way home to yourself.

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

Looking back, the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are an open heart, an open mind, and a willingness to learn—especially about myself. These aren’t just traits; they’re ongoing practices that have shaped how I create, how I connect, and how I grow.

An open heart has allowed me to stay present and vulnerable, even when life felt heavy. It has taught me how to see the world—and others—with compassion, which in turn has deepened the emotional resonance of my work. An open mind has kept me flexible and curious, willing to explore new materials, new ideas, and new perspectives without fear of failure. But perhaps most transformative has been my commitment to learning—not just new skills or techniques, but the deeper layers of who I am. When we create from a place of authenticity, our voice becomes unmistakable. Our work begins to carry the weight of truth.

For those just beginning their journey—whether in art, teaching, healing, or self-discovery—my advice is this: surround yourself with like-minded people who inspire and challenge you. Be curious and intentional about how you spend your time and energy. Give yourself permission to explore, to play, to discover what lights you up. And practice. Practice your craft, your vision, your truth—every day, even in small doses.

Progress doesn’t always look like a masterpiece. Sometimes it’s simply showing up for yourself, again and again, until your voice grows louder than your doubts. That’s where the magic lives.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Absolutely—I believe some of the most powerful creative work happens in community, and I’m always open to meaningful collaboration. I’m currently in a season of expansion, building out the next phase of Vagabond Canvas to include digital offerings like instructional art videos, downloadable lessons, and creative prompts that integrate healing and artistic exploration.

I would love to connect with fellow teaching artists, content creators, art therapists, educators, and organizations that believe in the power of creativity as a tool for resilience and self-discovery. Whether it’s co-creating a community workshop, building educational content, or developing collaborative offerings for schools, nonprofits, or families—I’m open to innovative ideas that align with authenticity, accessibility, and soul-centered artmaking.

If you’re someone who resonates with that vision—whether you’re an artist, teacher, dreamer, or doer—I’d be honored to connect.

You can reach me through my social media @VagabondCanvas or @WestboundKaleidoscope , or directly via email at VagabondCanvas@gmail.com or WestboundKaleidoscope@gmail.com. Let’s create something meaningful together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vagabondcanvas.net/ https://westboundkaleidosc.wixsite.com/west-bound-kaleidosc?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafcmMskXKtGzwdE1F5P6JNCIpR4U-p-iI3n690GbbGGuFxq1b3dfZ2jeQxvsw_aem_gHrcR0HByk_XJIXuuC9o3w
• Instagram: @westboundkaleidoscope and @vagabondcanvas
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vagabondcanvas

Image Credits

Headshot images photo credit to Robert Gray of Gray Elements Photography