Welcome to thorn & earth — a space where creativity, nature, and care intertwine.
My name is Alexandria (she/her). I’m a queer, chronically ill, inter-disciplinary artist, and counselling practicum student (RTC), living and working on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, and səlilwətaɬ peoples (so-called Vancouver).
For over a decade, I’ve worked with plants, clay, and natural materials, exploring how art can be a practice of remembering, healing, and reconnecting — with self, land, and community. Whether through eco-printing, ceramics, weaving with found objects, or tactile explorations of place, my art practice is an offering: a chance to slow down, notice, and create with what’s already around us.
As someone living with chronic illness and navigating complex systems, I’m intimately familiar with the tensions between accessibility, sustainability, and care — both personal and collective. These lived experiences deeply inform how I hold space: with patience, humour, gentleness, and a commitment to low-barrier, relationship-centered care.
I’m currently completing my counselling practicum, with a focus on relational, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed approaches. My background includes formal education in ecology, herbalism, and community arts facilitation, as well as hands-on experience in mental health support, peer-led spaces, and arts-based community care.
At thorn & earth , I don’t separate art-making from therapeutic practice. Both are ways of witnessing, processing, and making meaning. Both invite us to hold complexity: grief and joy, rupture and repair, wildness and tenderness.
This space is for folks seeking a gentler, slower way to be in their bodies and in the world — people who feel called to reconnect with themselves, their creativity, and the land.
Whether through one-on-one counselling, creative coaching, or community workshops, my aim is to offer spaces where you can feel seen, supported, and free to explore.
My Values:
Relational & Person-Centered: Honouring your lived experience, pace, and inner knowing.
Ecological Connection: Working with nature as co-facilitator, guide, and mirror.
Anti-Oppressive & Decolonial: Challenging systemic harm while centering care and accountability.
Accessibility & Low-Barrier Offerings: Creating spaces that are flexible, inclusive, and mindful of access needs.
Process Over Perfection: Embracing experimentation, mess, and the beauty of “good enough.”
If you're curious about working together — whether through art, counselling, or simply being in community — I’d love to connect.
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What is eco-arts &
creative embodiment?
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Eco-arts and creative embodiment are about deepening our connection to nature and self through artistic expression.
Eco-arts blend creative practices with ecological awareness, using natural materials like clay, plant dyes, and foraged objects to explore themes of sustainability, place, and interconnectedness. It’s a way of working with nature rather than just representing it.
Creative embodiment is about engaging the body, senses, and emotions in the creative process. It moves beyond traditional art-making into a more immersive, somatic experience, where movement, touch, and intuition play a role.
Together, they create a space for mindfulness, self-expression, and reconnection—with both the environment and ourselves.
Care
Care is understood as both a personal and collective practice. Informed by anti-oppressive, trauma-informed values, care involves listening deeply, honoring boundaries, and creating accessible, low-barrier spaces. Whether through one-on-one sessions or community workshops, care is extended with gentleness, flexibility, and an understanding of the complex realities individuals carry.
Community
Community is cultivated through intentional spaces that honor diverse identities and lived experiences. I am committed to fostering connections that are queer & neurodivergent affirming, disability-conscious, anti-racist and grounded in relational care. Through collaborative art-making and shared reflection, participants are invited into a sense of belonging that values authenticity, mutual support, and connection to land and self.
Play
Play is seen as a vital practice of presence and exploration. Through creative expression, movement, and sensory engagement, play becomes a pathway for healing — especially for those navigating chronic illness, trauma, or disconnection. Embracing experimentation and joy, play invites participants to reconnect with their inherent creativity, free from the pressures of perfection or performance.
Reciprocity
Reciprocity is practiced as an ongoing relationship — with people, land, and community. My approach emphasizes working with nature, not extracting from it, fostering practices of sustainability, gratitude, and mutual respect. This value also extends to human relationships, recognizing the importance of equitable exchanges, cultural humility, and uplifting marginalized voices.
Reclamation
Reclamation is the act of remembering and restoring connection to creativity, body, and land. I will support individuals in reclaiming stories, practices, and ways of being that have been dismissed or forgotten — whether through systemic oppression, colonial narratives, or personal disconnection. Through art and embodiment, reclamation becomes a tool for healing, empowerment, and reimagining.
Curiousity
Curiosity invites us to approach ourselves, others, and the world with wonder and openness. In a society that often demands certainty and conformity, curiosity becomes a radical practice of unlearning and reimagining — allowing us to explore new ways of being that honour our full, authentic selves. Whether through art-making, conversation, or quiet observation, curiosity guides my work as a gentle, spacious companion.