I don’t normally get too personal in my professional life. Aside from the occasional Instagram photo of my son (sometimes it’s too difficult to resist!), I usually steer clear of sharing my feelings or details about my life with the public. However, I have recently been inspired by some fellow small business owners (like Angel Swanson of Love and Splendor and Danielle Walker of Against All Grain) to “come out” and share a my story.

In the past 4 years, I have experienced 3 miscarriages and 2 other losses at between the 5 and 6 month mark of my pregnancies.  Dealing with all of that trauma has been quite a journey, especially because I am not yet willing to give up on the dream of giving birth to another baby.

As a calligrapher, aside from sharing my experiences and encouraging others to do the same, I have been looking for a meaningful way to help other bereaved families. So, today, in honor of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day, I am launching a campaign to help de-stigmatize this intangible loss. I have created (with the help of Amber Moon from Pitbulls and Posies) a series of 5 pieces, which I will post on Instagram and Twitter throughout the day, all hashtagged #letstalkaboutloss.

You can also go to www.letstalkaboutloss.wordpress.com to read a little but more of my story and to download my artwork as free desktop images and tattoo files.  Or, you can purchase an 8 x 10 print (or the whole series of prints) with the proceeds benefitting Share, an organization that helps families who have suffered pregnancy or infant loss.