The Artist
House of Ann
How I got sober & Found Color
From Black & Gray to a Rainbow of Hues
We all begin somewhere in grayscale — learning how to live before we learn how to shine. My story moves from shadow to spectrum. It’s taken years of polish, reflection, and practice to shine my true hues rightly — and even now, they come with tone and shade. But that’s where the depth lives. This is the story of how I became More ∞ Joy — and how color became my compass home.
Seeing Myself Through Another
Twin Beginnings
Starting out as a twin meant that my identity was, at first, a shared one. We were “the twins” — a single expression of two souls. I could find peace by mirroring her; when our eyes met across a room, the world made sense again. We were inseparable, and in her reflection, I learned who I was. Those early years shaped my fascination with mirroring, resonance, and the emotional wavelengths that connect us all — themes that still pulse through my art today.
Falling in Love with Learning
Growing Up With Costume
Before I found color, I found curiosity. I was homeschooled — a world of creativity, exploration, and freedom — where I could play dress up for hours, transforming myself through fabric, imagination, and make-believe. That playful experimentation with identity became the foundation for everything I do now. At 14, I entered college, eager to keep learning and expanding my world. I earned my B.A. in History and International Relations, later diving into web design, discovering that pattern and narrative weren’t just found in textiles — they lived in code, stories, and the connections we build between people. My love for learning has always been my first medium.
Crafting Digital Spaces
Building CurlyHost
CurlyHost was born in 2011, when I was 26 — a woman design studio grounded in authenticity and care. My team built websites the same way I later built art installations: intuitively, collaboratively, and with deep respect for human connection. Each site became a digital home — a place where someone could be seen, understood, and celebrated. Over the years, CurlyHost grew into a full creative studio, serving hundreds of clients across industries, helping them tell their stories with clarity and warmth. That season of creation taught me structure, storytelling, and how to sustain long-term growth — lessons that now echo in More ∞ Joy.
When the Lights Went Out
Breaking Point
At some point, the joy of doing and hosting became too much to hold. A few bad contracts and a life lived for others, I spiraled into a deep depression. My drive dimmed, and even the events that once fueled me began to feel hollow. I was buried under late fees, self-doubt, and exhaustion. My relationship ended, I left the home that had cradled me, and I found myself alone in the dark — stripped of my old colors and unsure if they’d ever return.
Finding Peace in the Quiet
Craft Therapy as Recovery
Sobriety came as a whisper, not a roar. I didn’t go to rehab or a program — I embroidered a jacket and went to the woods. My early recovery was spent fixing my home and rebuilding my habits: waking early, making my bed, crafting in the mornings, breathing fresh air, and learning to sit in silence. I discovered ecstatic dance, improv, and creative movement as tools for healing. I found that joy wasn’t gone — it had just gone quiet, waiting for me to slow down enough to listen.
Turning Recovery into Ritual
Dash-Dye Beginnings
As my hands steadied, I began experimenting with color again. What started as a quiet meditation — a way to keep my hands busy — became a daily practice I call Dash-Dye. Mixing pigments, splashing fabric, and learning how colors interact became a kind of therapy. Each hue revealed something new about emotion, balance, and the human spirit. Over five years, I’ve come to know more than 150 colors by name, by feel, and by heart. Dash-Dye became my mirror again — a vibrant reflection of everything I was rediscovering within.
From Spectrum to Studio
Growing in Color
Like a slow-growth forest, this work has deep roots. Building a business worth existing in permanently takes patience. My art and fashion have evolved through festivals, collaborations, and community events — Wild Zen, Fallasburg Art Festival, ArtPrize, and two Grand Rapids fashion shows among them. Each experience stretched me further into visibility, collaboration, and courage. My dyed tapestries and wearable art have met new audiences, and each encounter feels like another leaf unfurling toward the light.
Connection as Art
The Spectrum Between Us
My signature project, The Spectrum Between Us, brings people together under a shared rainbow. Through color, conversation, and portraiture, we explore what it means to be seen — truly seen — in full expression. These installations are living ecosystems of emotion and empathy. Whether you encounter my work in a park, a gallery, or on a stranger’s scarf, I hope it awakens your own sense of belonging to something vivid, human, and whole.
