Collective Impact invites the community to come together and experience the healing power of creativity through Seed Art Expression. Open to all ages, this gathering offers a welcoming space to share, reflect, and create. More than just making art, it’s an opportunity to build connections, nurture emotional well-being, and inspire future collaborations that strengthen wellness, creativity, and bonds across generations. Colores de Jardín is facilitated by local artist Dani Bustos.
Hello my name is Dani Bustos. I am 38 years old, born and raised in Northern New Mexico. I’m the daughter of Nanette Valerio & Leonard Bustos. And little sister to the late and great Nikki B. Bustos.
What has brought me here today has been a work in progress on myself for about 15 years. Having PTSD after serving one combat tour to Afghanistan in 2009-2010. I had been prescribed Rx drugs to combat symptoms. I only found that I was getting me further away from myself. I found connecting with nature was where I felt most at peace and it did a lot to heal me. Fast forward to September 22, 2023. The day my life shattered. To lose my sister Nikki left me with the biggest hole in my heart. I knew the winter would be a cold dark one in Northern Colorado if I didn’t start to heal myself immediately. So, I picked up a notebook and started to write. I’d write to my sister every day. Then the pen was laid to rest and I was stuck. Wondering how to continue to work through these aches in my chest.
Listening to my sister’s own words, I decided I was going to do some arte (Spanish) in her behalf. In order to keep her spirit alive and bring some new light into my darkness. What started off as a small painting of the Santuario. Soon turned into over 20 canvasses being painted in the course of around 7 months before I returned to New Mexico. Nearly every weekend I would paint something that reminded me or her or us. I called my series, Nikki’s Garden. Because she was an artist of many mediums. It was her that planted the seed in me. The seed that you can sow something dark and reap out of something beautiful.
I went on to plant an actual fruit and vegetable garden this year from some of my sister’s seeds. A true Nikki’s Garden. The garden was a huge teacher to me. It was where I could go and pray, talk to Her.
I share some of my experiences and raw feelings with a few that follow me on social media. I do it to break the stigma of healing in healthy ways. Allowing people to feel open and be vulnerable to struggles and addictions. A seed was planted in me. And from that, I’ve been able to flourish and produce seeds of my own..
With these seeds, I hope to plant something in someone’s darkness, discomfort or weary heart. I want to show them the beauty that they carry and how colorful the world can be when you plant a seed, establish strong roots, and grow through the darkness