Painting With A Twist

I just want to teach art to people who need it. -Mikayla Lehn

A core tenant at Painting With A Twist is that inspiration, fun, and lasting memories come through painting. Mikayla Lehn knows from personal experience that putting paint to canvas can also be profoundly therapeutic. Creativity helped to pull her through the aftermath of a life-altering foot injury, and she brought that experience with her when she took over the managing duties at the Traverse City location.

And while community outreach like discounted events for non-profits and face painting for special needs children has always been part of the culture at Painting With A Twist, the value of such events became much more personal for Mikayla on March 9, 2019. That was the day that Scott Herzberg, the POC, Military & Veteran Services/ Advisor at NMC, suggested she teach a painting class for a gathering of combat veterans and their loved ones. As it turns out, the brother of Mikayla’s best friend, Sgt. Justin Hansen of Kingsley, had been killed during combat operations in Afghanistan, and the twin sibling of her fiancé had been gravely wounded while serving abroad, so she deeply understood the duty and sacrifice involved, and it was with some trepidation she agreed to lead the group.

After consulting her soon-to-be brother-in-law about what painting subject might speak to veterans, they agreed upon The Soldiers’ Memorial. Mikayla painted a stirring version and provided a stencil for those intimidated by the intricacies of the silhouette. Almost immediately she could sense quiet focus overtake the room, as each person created their own interpretation of the powerful symbol, making their own paintings both more personal and meaningful. Something momentous had occurred, though the extent of what had transpired would only become clear to the instructor later.

The next time she spoke with Scott Herzberg he told her that one of the veterans had been in desperate straights, even feeling suicidal, but the class had touched him deeply enough that he’d enrolled in art classes immediately following the weekend. In recognition of what she had done, the local Student Veterans of America chapter presented Mikayla with a Challenge Coin, an honor that is exceedingly rare to receive as a civilian. She did not take any of this lightly, and in fact gathered inspiration from it, taking the initiative to immediately begin offering and lead Veterans Paint Free events every Monday evening 7 pm-9 pm.

“Any type of art is an outlet,” Mikayla says, and spreading the creativity, the joy, the simple fun, and, yes, the therapeutic value of painting with a brush has become a passion she brings to each and every day to Painting With A Twist. That is the message and the mission.