Jessie Hagerman

     Art has been a part of my life, in some form or another, for as long as I can remember.  I grew up in a small town called Southold on the East End of the North Fork of Long Island in New York.  I have creative parents that always enabled my own creativity in many ways.  Whether I was finger painting on the dining room windows, drawing murals on the basement walls, building forts or playing music, I was always encouraged and always wanted to do more.
      Growing up on the North Fork served as an incredible inspiration in many of the creative endeavors throughout my life.  The East End is a mosaic of beauty.  It is full of sprawling vineyards, farmlands, miles of beaches, creeks, inlets, salt water, sea air and is one of the few places on the east coast that you can watch the sun melt into the sea!  You can imagine how hard it was to move away from my family and all of this beauty, but I did it anyway.  (and I've been trying to get back ever since!!!)
      In 1995, I moved to Springfield, MA to attend Springfield College. I grew to love Western Massachusetts and learned to appreciate such a different landscape from the one in which I grew up:  mountains, rivers and lakes versus sand dunes, beaches and the open sea.  I graduated in 1999 with a BS in Art Therapy and landed my dream job at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield which is an orthopedic specialty hospital for children from around the world. (http://www.shrinershq.org/) I became a Certified Child Life Specialist while working at Shriners and after 16 amazing year there, I accepted a position at Baystate Children's Hospital as their Child Life Manager. (https://www.baystatehealth.com/locations/childrens-hospital)

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I've always seemed to have some sort of creative project going on the sidelines - whether I was designing logos, illustrating books, drawing for medical journals, taking photos, creating jewelry, painting, making music or just doing any art for art's sake!  I've gathered inspiration from my travels over the course of the last seven years when doing medical mission trips.  I’ve done three missions in Ecuador with a team from Healing the Children, Northeast (www.htcne.org) as a Child Life Specialist and a Spanish interpreter.  Following each mission, I stayed in Ecuador for an extra week or two to backpack and explore.  I most recently did a medical mission in China with HandReach (www.handreach.org) where I worked as a Child Life Specialist on a pediatric burn unit.  During these missions, I was able to take some time to see other areas of these countries, away from the medical experiences.  In doing so I was able to find a deeper appreciation for the beauty and wonder this earth offers despite all it is up against. These travel experiences, both work and play, have influenced my perspective on the world in many ways and in turn have infused my art world with wonder and curiosity. 

So, what it all comes down to for me is this:  I just like to make things that I think other people will enjoy. I like to capture the beauty of our earth and the people and animals that inhabit it and then share it with others.  I like to help families capture memories. I like to tell stories through art when I can.  It’s my therapy. It's a part of my life and I'm happy to be on this journey and to be able to share it. Hope you like what you see!