We are proud to share with you, the story & work of talented veteran artist, Lesley Mose!
Lesley has always been an artisan at heart. Even during her military career, she always did everything she could to gather as many military occupational specialties as humanly possible. To Lesley, her job & career were her pride, joy & how she identified herself. When she was injured and medically retired from the military, her spirits were initially crushed, & she struggled to figure out how she would be of any use to anyone. As with many veterans struggling with PTSD and overwhelming injuries, there were many dark days, but she was introduced to Art Therapy, and the Arts became, and continue to be, a mode of therapy that brings a sense of completeness and belonging.
Crochet was suggested by a therapist when coming back from back-to-back deployments in 2013 to begin the healing process from PTSD. It was meant to serve to keep her hands busy & her mind occupied. She started by making scarves, hats, & blankets. She had no idea that it would lead her to where she is today to make crochet dolls. Along the way, another service member gave her a love for woodworking and a very special Art Therapist gave her a love for varying types of Art and introduced her to poets and musicians that rekindled her lost love of writing and music. This channeled her focus toward healing and out of that healing her business has started to grow.
This year, for the first time, she has allowed herself to enter a juried art exhibit with the Veterans Affairs and won at the Local Level in Richmond (for crochet/knitting), going on to compete and win at the National Level. She has been invited to participate in the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival being held this year in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Info about this event, happening right now, is linked below.) She is the founder & co-owner of La Mosé Creations, LLC which does a plethora of things, including crochet dolls, blankets, scarves, & other items, photography, woodworking, & resin.
Check out Lesley’s work online at thecraftycaptain.com and on her Instagram and twitter at the links below!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laMoseCreations
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thecraftycpt/ & https://www.instagram.com/lamosecreationsphotography/
National Veterans #CreativeArtsFestival Info: https://buff.ly/3MkVF5X
CBAW Marketing & Communications Manager
Rob Haney is an artist, writer, and graphic designer with a passion for making slick-looking and fun images that catch the eye and draw viewers in. Rob worked for over 10 years in retail banking and management in their previous life, before returning to school and earning an Associates of Arts with Honors from Rock Valley College in 2012. An early addict to Twitter, Rob enjoys liking and resharing cool stuff and interacting with people who hold similar interests on the internet. When not online, Rob writes and reads poetry, creates both physical and digital artwork, and watches British mystery shows.