Ramona studied psychology in college and focuses on crisis and trauma counseling. She has set out to be a trauma and crisis counselor and that led her to practice reflexology. It calms the nervous system opening the door for other treatments to work. She had a full schedule before the pandemic, seeing 15-20 clients a week. She shares that she was glad she picked up painting as giving all of her energy outward was taking a toll on her mental health. Painting was like self-care. She never considered painting professionally or creating anything that would be sellable. Who knew that not long after, her reflexology space would turn into her very own gallery. “As far as the healing arts go, you know, I really did miss that connection that I had with my clients. Yeah, not being able to connect with them hands-on, not knowing how long I would be good again, and missing that connection. So originally, Ramona Allen healing arts was my Instagram feed for my reflexology practice. And I would post different things relating to health and wellness, mostly with holistic or alternative medicine. So I began to share my artwork on there thinking that it might inspire someone else may be to explore their creativity, not thinking that it would be something that would move into a career with sellable art.”Ramona’s art began bringing joy, hope, and light to everyone in a dark time. People began reaching out to her and sharing what they experienced through viewing each piece. This gave her back the connection she was missing from having clients. What I've heard from others who know Ramona is that she is great at listening to their stories. She takes their story and turns it into a piece of art.To view Ramona's work visit her website and Instagram.Also, stay until the end of the episode to listen to Caroline Cotter's track II est Jaune.Big thanks to Zach St. Ward for capturing Ramona's wonderful craft.