Colors of Healing
by Lynn Wachtler MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CMCS
For Willard Malebear, Lakota artist, entrepreneur, and advocate, his passion for creating and transforming space into purpose and beauty is inspiring. His life is an open book- he speaks matter-of-factly about his decades-long methamphetamine addiction, his felony convictions, his incarceration, and his belief that creative expression is a fundamental human right.
I have some understanding of the places he’s been, but from the other side. I worked as a provider in a couple of the facilities where he was incarcerated. There were incidents I cannot unsee- cases and stories I won’t forget. I would have remembered if our paths had crossed. I have to agree with the perspective he shares.
As the founder and owner of Iktomi Tattoo, a Native-owned, eco-friendly tattoo shop, and the Executive Director of the nonprofit Art Shelf next door, he demonstrates his resiliency through art and community in every aspect of his work. Once a self-described renegade living fast and hard, he reached a turning point one night after being arrested. It was clear—he might not get another chance. He chose change.
“We are in a jungle,” he says. Nature is brutal; it’s a grinding recycling factory.” Predator or prey, we experience both as part of our human experience in the natural world. He views art as an integral part of emotional healing and as a profound source of wellness. He is passionate about his purpose, and with just a pencil and paper, he taught art and wellness in prison. Simply put, the Art Shelf philosophy is that creativity saves lives.
Art tells a story. Sitting next to Willard at his shop, I ask about his tribe and where he is enrolled. He points to the ceiling above us, where I see the colors of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which straddles the border of North and South Dakota and encompasses 2.3 million acres.
The area drew international media coverage and support as some of the largest Indigenous protests in decades occurred there, related to the construction of DAPL, the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is a 1,172-mile-long underground oil pipeline that crosses under Lake Oahe, just upstream from the reservation.
As he sketches, we talk about Star People, quantum entanglement, and a blended form of spirituality that works for him.
He participates in the traditional Inipi, Sweat Lodge Ceremony- a place of prayer, purification, and healing. A snake emerges on his electronic sketch pad with intricate colors and detail that will eventually become a tattoo. Like cannabis, archaeological evidence of tattooing is thousands of years old. Bone fragments were often used to pierce the skin and have been found alongside ink pots.
Willard opened Iktomi about two years ago, and in addition to his businesses, he remains committed to recovery, advocacy, and working with formerly incarcerated individuals. He has eight years of sobriety and is a father and partner with obligations and commitments to social justice and cultural revitalization.
In considering approaches to wellness, the traditional achievement-oriented programs of the past could backfire, creating more guilt, more stress, and, in some cases, ultimately less wellness. Healthcare professionals have also updated and included a more holistic framework that honors the complex multidimensionality of human beings. Indeed, those who create art have higher levels of well-being.
I resonate with the Mission of Art Shelf, which is to cultivate wellness and empower imaginations by providing gateways to artistic experiences. I like the community aspect, the accessibility for all, and a more compassion-centered approach to wellbeing. It’s just fine to be a little messy; it's a nonjudgmental alcohol alcohol-free space, and there are mentors available if needed. It’s a reminder that wellness isn’t a destination, but rather a living, non-linear path, and a constantly evolving practice.
Shifting to a less rigid, more dynamic continuum of priorities enables greater flexibility as personal circumstances and priorities evolve. The eight interwoven dimensions and components of wellness are what make us human. I am also reminded of Iktomi, the eight-legged spider spirit who shapes destinies and uses cunning, tricks, and creativity to challenge perceptions and guide people through these lessons.
The Eight Dimensions of Wellness
Physical Wellness
Social Wellness
Emotional Wellness
Career Wellness
Intellectual/Creative Wellness
Financial Wellness
Environmental Wellness
Existential (Spiritual) Wellness
As the cannabis industry evolves toward wellness and away from stigma, parallels emerge: both community-based art as a source of wellness and cannabis are about restoring connection, easing pain, embracing the multidimensionality within and around us, and finding balance.
As Willard Malebear shows us through his life and work, the goal is to become healthier, more empowered people—reclaiming the fundamental human right to creative expression through art and connection.