A Little Bit About Me by Donna S

My Current Home

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-09 23:27:43 UTC

I am based in Rancho Cucamonga, CA in the far west side of the Inland Empire. It's right between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, so that isn't so bad for a suburb with a name that is often made fun of haha

Past Work

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-09 23:41:48 UTC

I have always had a desire to help others, but not all of my work fulfilled this part of myself. I tried various avenues looking for the right fit, even after my undergrad, such as:

food service (restaurant and public school)
retail (fun fact: I worked at a Crocs kiosk before they were cool and was ridiculed on the daily by mall goers)
aesthetics marketing
writing/editing
accounting (the job that almost broke me mentally)
virtual assisting
caption call for the hearing impaired
substitute teaching
tattooing

My Fluffy Baby

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-10 00:11:10 UTC

I was not a pet person until we welcomed Agnes into our lives. Now she's my best pal, and the most spoiled being in the household. She's my emotional support animal, and she fills my heart every day. It is actually her 1st birthday today (May 9th), so she is going to get extra spoiled (yes, I am that kind of cat mom).

My Son, the Coolest Little Guy

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-10 00:22:48 UTC

There aren't enough words to describe my wonderful baby boy, Jack. He's only 9 but very tall so we can share tee shirts and socks now. He is free-spirited, kind, sensitive, hilarious, and just so sweet. He is not afraid to be himself, which I admire greatly as someone who used to be terrified of judgement for most of my childhood. Everyone falls in love with Jack because he genuinely cares for others and he has a unique way of thinking that stays with you. It has been an honor to watch him grow up.

My Roots

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-10 00:34:18 UTC

I'm Scottish on my father's side and Bolivian on my mother's side. My mom is the only parent who raised me, so that is the culture that I relate to most. I learned to knit in Bolivia when I was six, so it most definitely influenced my love for textile art.

Fiber Arts Enthusiast

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-10 00:52:38 UTC

I have CPTSD, which makes me have a lot of nervous energy. Fiber art has helped me tremendously, probably because it's repetitive and a project can be as simple or complex as I want. Some days I only have space for the same stitch over and over (beanies, simple blankets, scarves, etc), and other days I am energized and ready to challenge myself (lace, colorwork, an unfamiliar pattern, a meticulous soft sculpture). I'm trying to make a side business with my skills, but even if that doesn't pan out, I'll be doing it until I am physically unable to. Sometimes I get "pre-sad" when I think about when that day comes. But like many artists before me, such as Chuck Close, I will find a way to express myself no matter what state I'm in.

Lifelong Doodler

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-10 00:58:40 UTC

I envisioned being a more traditional painter/illustrator type of artist when I started college. I was always drawing pictures of people trying to get every proportion right. It is still something I revisit from time to time, but occasionally it'll just look different. I have made realistic portraits using cross-stitch, for example, and my next portrait idea involves crochet or possibly one of those rug-tufting machines (I have not tried this before, but I have a feeling it will just work out). Creativity is something I never want to take for granted again because truly it has given me my life back after a long, dark dry spell. I firmly believe in the healing power of art, and I hope to use that in my future practice.

Why LMFT?

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-12 04:13:38 UTC

I have a knack for being a good listener and a helper. Sometimes that has had unsavory consequences, but I am learning to set proper boundaries and notice when my cup is not full enough to be of service to others. Becoming an art therapist seemed like a pipe dream right out of college (logistically, financially, etc). I also did not feel like I could handle the emotional toll at that time. Since then, however, I have lived a lot of life and overcome more than I ever thought was possible. Sobriety and therapy have changed my life for the better, and to be able to have a greater purpose than rotting underneath fluorescent tubes doing meaningless work gives me hope for a fulfilled future.

Who I Hope to Work With

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-12 04:40:18 UTC

I hope to work with adults (individuals and couples alike) who struggle with intimacy, low self-esteem, sexual dysfunction, loss of self, and other factors that might stem from trauma and, ultimately, affect the way they connect with those around them. More specifically, I want to work with the LGBTQ+ and Latino/-x communities as well as sex workers and addicts. I believe art therapy is well-suited for these demographics and can help process a wide range of challenges.

Self-care

dsoutar89 — 2025-05-12 05:01:53 UTC

Creating is my self-care, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. I have easy "mindless" projects that I work on throughout the day to help with my anxiety, and then there are bigger, newer, or more complicated ones that I reserve for when I have more mental space for it.

Singing in the shower or my car is a low-stakes way to fill my cup because at the end of the day I will always be a theater kid.

I also intentionally see my closest friends when we can coordinate it because now those hang outs are so much more meaningful than when we all took our open availability for granted.