Memoirtistry was born in December 2020.
Maybe like you, the forced isolation from a global pandemic turned me inward. When I got inside myself, I found a mess, and exactly what I’ve been looking for—the key to my way out.
I was surprised when I searched “memoirtistry” and the word generated zero Google results. The discovery of an original idea led me to trademark Memoirtistry, which took three years to process.
Memoirtistry is the blending of two words, “memoir” and “artistry”; it begins with “me” and is focused on “memory”, or lived experience, as the source for expression. It’s purpose is rooted in recovery.
It has become a way of life; medicine for what ails the spirit. For me, there is no “returning to normal”.
I was living alone in the woods, in a small studio apartment, when Memoirtistry was born. With no one around to influence my expression in its infancy, I began a stream-of-consciousness podcast to understand what Memoirtistry meant to me. Verbal ventilation is one of the ways I process lived experiences, to make sense and meaning, to weave a story. When I didn’t have the voice, or needed privacy with my thoughts, I shifted my attention to writing.
Memoirtistry was first a podcast.
I published my first memoir, I Was a Good Wife: A Self-Portrait.
Divorcing the only husband I’ll ever have triggered me to write the book I always said I would write, and Covid gifted me the time.
I outlined the content using 350+ Instagram photos, created a playlist for musical inspiration, and hired a book designer to support me through the editing and self-publishing process.
After releasing the book, I ran away from the internet. I was proud of the accomplishment and I also knew it wasn’t really the book I always wanted to write.
Memoirtistry joins a retail gallery and sells original works of art.
For the words I do not know—or the ones I know but cannot yet speak or type—a new voice developed to aid in self-discovery.
During my break from writing, I gave the canvas my attention and I painted 25 pieces in three days. Each artwork revealed a secret. I enrolled in Milan Art Institute’s online Mastery Program to enhance my skills.
Within Memoirtistry’s first year, I started an online shop and was selling artworks in Gallery BOOM. I also held my first month-long solo exhibition in the Harlequin Theater during Olympia Arts Walk.
The most difficult thing I’ve found, being an artist, is living by my own value system.
Change is constant, and for that reason it can be difficult to embrace.
Regardless of the advice I receive from the capitalist-minded—those gentle reminders that “Memoirtistry is a business”—I shift course and direction as intuition guides. Selling paintings was unfulfilling; creating was tainted by the constant pressure to make money and reproductions. Memoirtistry’s paintings are one of one and I continue to operate as such. By the end of 2021, my paintings were no longer available in any retail space and I closed the online shop.
The beauty of Memoirtistry is that every medium is one I enjoy, so I do not fret when one expression takes a seat to another. You can view my artworks in the Artifacts gallery, and admirers can still collect an original by contacting me directly.
Memoirtistry offers writing and editing services.
Before the pandemic, I quit my corporate job to pursue freelance editorial work. I was certified by the University of Washington in 2018 and I operated independently as Liz Edits. Memoirtistry unearthed the genre I am most passionate about.
When I am not writing for myself, I offer memoir writing and editing services. I enjoy exploring creative ways to tell someone’s story and employ motivational interviewing to tease out narrative.
In early 2023, I was hired to teach a virtual Master Class on Process & Voice. Soon after, the playwright who hired me, invited me to move across the country. I said yes, and hit the road with the intention of trading services to expand Memoirtistry into performance.
What Sets Memoirtistry Apart
People First, Trauma Informed
Memoirtistry focuses on understanding your needs to help you succeed in writing.
Meaningful Relationships
Memoirtistry creates lasting relationships with participants and grows with them over time.
Proven Process, Flexible Execution
Memoirtistry brings structure where it counts and adaptability when it matters.
I published my second memoir, I Left a Stranger: A Coming Out & Into Estrangement.
I arrived in Georgia from Washington state and circumstances quickly changed; after a month, I hit the road for Pennsylvania. This book outlines the journey.
In my travels, I left canvasses and framed originals in places I visited, marked “Free Art”. I gifted pieces to friends and strangers. When I grow out of the stories, it is important I leave them behind.
As I drove, I unwittingly (intuitively) penned 12 chapters of a poetry chapbook. When I realized it, I wrote a 13th. The nine repeating symbols that appear in my art begin to make sense.
For this book, I designed the front and back cover art, and celebrated the release at the Poetry Lounge.
Memoirtistry finds a voice in the boxing ring.
Two days after arriving in Pittsburgh, I was offered an opportunity to perform the national anthem for a local boxing match being aired on Pay-per-view. After introducing myself through song, I was hired as “the anthem girl” with Integrity Fighter Management.
To date, I have performed the anthem for more than a dozen boxing matches, some of which aired on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Every time I performed this song, it was a challenge; not only because the song itself is difficult, but because of what the song represents.
During my last performance, in October 2025, some people in the crowd lifted their hands in worship and I was suddenly a child again, on a church platform. I chose to end the contract.
Memoirtistry includes art commentary to engage the community and support local artists.
In Pittsburgh, I immersed myself in the art scene to feel a sense of belonging. For part-time work, I was a gallery attendant and membership administrator for a local museum. I taught creative writing workshops and hosted a weekly open mic event where I met artists, musicians and poets.
I joined a six-month art commentary program and found a role to play in the community. The exercises, interviews and challenges improved my writing. I no longer felt like an imposter; I was a transplant artist, an accepted outsider, recognized for supporting local artists.
Memoirtistry’s art commentaries are published here, and some are featured in The Commentary by Wick Monet and can be found in newspaper boxes around the city.
Memoirtistry has never been about following the money; it is person-first, trauma-informed and therapeutic. Memoirtistry generates joy and inspires creative living.
Don’t get me wrong, it feels good to receive payment for my work, and I do not require payment* to continue my work. This is what defines Memoirtistry as a way of life. I will write books even if no one reads them. I will give books away. I will paint even if no one cares to look. I will give paintings away. I will express as long as I have breath. Money does not limit me.
I have been instructed by academics in business and mental health professionals that I am not allowed to refer to Memoirtistry as art therapy because I am not a therapist. Both can be true.
*payment for memoir writing and editing services is always required
Memoirtistry partners with mental health professionals.
Memoirtistry was born after I received a formal diagnosis of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) from childhood religious trauma and ongoing spiritual abuse. The diagnosis was the key I needed to exorcise the demon and release the active ghosts.
Memoirtistry is a business and an artist’s expression; it is my response to therapy and I am not a therapist. If anything, Memoirtistry is a ministry. I am an artist sharing her lived experience with recovery as the goal. I use the tools of my craft with vigorous consistency. I believe creativity is a medicine we all have access to, we only need to be reminded.
In addition to co-hosting COMPLEX with Quincy Schmidt, a Mental Health & Relationship Coach, I am a certified Peer Support Specialist (PA) providing services for women with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who may also be involved with the criminal justice system.
My third memoir, I’m Not Wearing Any Pants: Undressing a Diagnosis will be published in 2026.
In this book, I explore the nine repeating symbols in my art and interact with 20 years of writing to reveal the stories they satisfy—the baptisms, exorcisms and deaths required.
There is an element of time travel to my work. Deconstructing religious identity and accepting what has happened to me is easier when I allow the creative flow to guide me.
I am releasing some content as art commentary.
This is the only book I ever wanted to write. Now that I am thisclose to publication, I wonder if, with this book…
it is finished.
Memoirtistry supports autism awareness and inclusive communities.
I intended to leave YouTube after I left Instagram, but decided to stay for one viewer.
Memoirtistry’s YouTube channel is dedicated to Charlie, a special boy who loves Pete the Cat* children’s books. Charlie and I share a birthday; he is a tech wizard, maybe a video producer in the making, and he loves requesting Auntie Liz to reenact his favorite moments in these videos.
Charlie and I are growing our relationship, despite the distance between us, in a way that supports his routine and communication style.
*I do not make any money from these videos and I am not associated with the author(s).
Memoirtistry advocates for teen writers.
In a past life, I was employed by a church—the youth pastor’s wife—and I supported teens from 6th to 12th grade. To this day, I maintain relationships with some of those kids, now adults. My time in youth ministry impacted me in more ways than one, and I continue to advocate for teens.
Charly Muha, or CHAR.M., is a high school poet and Memoirtistry’s first Teen Contributor. They began writing at a young age and have been working with Memoirtistry since 2021.
Memoirtistry is a safe platform where they can publish their work while navigating college applications and writing opportunities to enhance their resume as they consider their future.
Memoirtistry is a method of creative expression where rules are bent and broken; and intuition is a mysterious and trusted guide. It is the reason I am alive.
Memoirtistry was created to support my mental health. I value originals. I do not make reproductions of drawings or paintings. I do not sell my painted clothes and shoes. I do not always seal artworks so paintings fade with time; I celebrate their death and make something new. I do not affix hanging wire or picture hooks to the backs of canvases; your attempt will be as good as, if not better than, mine. I will not return to social media. I will not turn on comments. I cannot reveal every part of the process; solitude is required. I do not hold popular opinion. I am not a starving artist; creativity is medicine, money is not. I reserve the right to change my mind, cancel plans, and choose the projects I want to work on. Contracts can be broken. Promises do not last forever. We are all going to die.