‘Don’t Sabotage Your Happiness’ – The Refresh Collection

‘Don’t Sabotage Your Happiness’, 2022

Rawan Ita of Project TheraPaint

Acrylic, Pastel, Charcoal, Ink, on Canvas –  10″ x 10″

I woke up and felt something I hadn’t felt in a while. I felt happiness. Is this what happiness feels like? It had been so long since I could remember it in my life. I’m afraid to be happy – afraid of welcoming it only to lose it again.

She told me, “Don’t sabotage your happiness”. I hold on to those words when the devil tries to make its way deeper into my life. I paint my happiness so that I can find it if it’s ever lost. Here is my happiness, on the canvas, captured in time, as a tangible reminder to not sabotage it.

Rawan Ita-Diaz is a Detroit based artist with a Master’s Degree in Architecture & Design.  In 2017, she was struck by an SUV while walking across a parking lot. Her life was never the same. Rawan’s permanent injuries cause her to struggle with chronic pain and emotional distress.

To create, Rawan persists through the pain and finds emotional healing while painting. She paints the good, the bad, and the truths of life through what she calls Project TheraPaint. Rawan’s artwork is showcased in exhibitions and print publications throughout the world.