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"Trauma is trauma. White folks go to counseling and some Black folks don’t.
Ravin Lovett beams as she describes helping people heal, especially those who don't want "talk" therapy or are unable to talk about their trauma. Art and art therapy are both a professional and personal ministry that go back to trauma she experienced at age 3.
Quilting, photography, sculpting, and writing are a few of the art mediums that Ravin works in. But it is her "storyteller quilts" where her true artistic and mental health journey combine both self-expression and personal healing. "I remember being 13 and quilting with my grandmother and I've continued sewing for over 22 years." Her quilts highlight "little" Ravin, her faith and love of her crown. Through years of therapy, Ravin can look and reflect on her younger self in her "storyteller quilts." She talks about how far she has come, both as a person and an artist.
Ravin breaks down her growth in one of her "storytelling quilts" into "3 phases of adolescence from 6th grade through 8th grade. I would describe this my awkward stage. During this estrange time in my life I began to blossom into an even more confused young lady. Poised and well put together yet hiding who I really was and knowing not who I would become simultaneously."
"Healthy people go to therapy"
July 2023 started seismic changes that continue. Ravin lost her job and the insurance it provided. Soon her therapist will be moving away and Ravin will need to find another therapist. "I'm hopeful about a new job that would have me advocating for low-income seniors." She is thrilled to work with the seniors and to also have health insurance as she searches for a new therapist. Not easy to do in Mississippi without insurance.
Her continued ministry of healing through art therapy has her working with many uninsured Mississippians. They make too much to qualify for Medicaid and not enough to afford marketplace health insurance. "Healthy people go to therapy" is her motto and she speaks from experience. Art therapy and talk therapy combined were instrumental for Ravin and she will continue to advocate for Mississippi to expand health coverage and access to mental health.
