Julien Kerr (Artist) and Susan LaFleur selecting art 'Count your Blessings' at the Coconut Grove Art Festival, 2017.
Have you ever discovered a piece of art that spoke to your soul? One that you felt connected to instantly and you were not sure why? Sometimes you can draw out your own story from the art, but when you get the chance to speak with the Artist and the story unfolds, you realize it was not a coincidence that you crossed paths.
The name of the art ‘Count Your blessings’ by Julien Kerr was just that for our Co-Founder, Susan. Strolling through the Coconut Art Grove Art Festival in Spring 2017, these abstract works caught her attention and she stared at them intently. As she looks closer, she sees the paint as individual droplets. White paint on white paper, so simple, so pure. Susan had been struggling with infertility for over 2 years and at that singular moment she felt peace and instantly cried. Art has always given so much joy to Susan, her home filled with original artwork from around the world.
Julien continues to share that he is an ICU Nurse enduring long shifts and traumatic moments with his patients. “The daily experience requires a lot of mental processing. Art provides me with a release at the end of the shift.” Like Julien, art provides an escape for Susan to experience beauty and creation.
Let me paint this picture for you.
Detail of ‘Count Your Blessings’ paintings made dripping paint from medical tools.
Susan, one of 6 siblings always knew she would be a Mother. After enduring painfully emotional and physical treatments, the all-consuming thoughts that she may not be able to conceive her own child as she always dreamed of weighed on her. Meanwhile, friends and relatives around her easily getting pregnant, and another failed attempt at fertility treatment left little room for hope.
Fast forward 2.5 years later to today, on Mother’s Day and Susan has been blessed with two energetic boys. It was just a few days fter that experience meeting Julien, the ICU Nurse and Artist, that she successfully conceived a baby girl embryo in the lab and shortly after discovered that she was pregnant with her first son, naturally.
Maternity photo of Susan, photography by Stephanie Anders.
Medicine and Art; not an expected combination, but if you consider the role art can play in Health and Wellness, it is a perfect pair. We caught up with Julien to understand how he juggles his two worlds.
“The Discipline that comes with being a nurse allows me to be an artist. It’s not one of the other, it’s both.” Julien shares “I think some people find it hard to believe that nursing and art can have such a symbiotic relationship but nursing really helps the art – it allows me to take risks.”
In such difficult times like today, Julien’s focus has been battling alongside COVID-19 patients in a San Francisco Hospital, and we are so grateful for people like him. Not only does his profession and passion as a Nurse allow him to be a ‘hands on healer’, but his other passion as an artist is just as powerful and restorative.
On such a special day like Mother’s Day, for Moms everywhere and especially those where fertility has been a challenge, we would like to honor these Mothers and share this story of strength, hope and healing. Happy Mother’s Day!
More about Julien Kerr and his Art:
Julien Kerr is a Contemporary Artist and traveling ICU Nurse dedicated to his patient’s well-being. He is compassionate and aware of his patient’s needs. He uses art as a therapeutic process after long shifts, throwing paint on canvas to let it all out, the emotions, the tension, the frustration. Interactions with people through his art gives Julien Kerr practices medicine as a Nurse, it is an art and a science where he can employ his artistic side to help others, in the field and outside of it.