Notable Quotables: Creative Forces and the Power of Connection
When describing involvement in the Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, individual participants and organizations consistently come back to one word: connection. In the military, service members are part of close-knit teams, bound by a shared mission and purpose. After leaving that environment—or while living with the invisible wounds of service—the ties that once held teams and families together can weaken. Rebuilding those connections is both healing and helps restore purpose and strength in individuals, marriages, families, and communities.
That’s where Creative Forces comes in. Through grants to nonprofit organizations for arts engagement projects in communities across America, the Creative Forces’ Community Engagement program helps service members, veterans, and their families and caregivers rediscover connection, resilience, and healing.
In the words of participants and grant recipients, here are some of the ways Creative Forces is helping to build connection (follow the links below for full stories about these organizations):
Finding Belonging
“The thing that always surprises me is the opportunities that come when you build community. Where [participants] came in expecting to learn stand-up comedy, or they came in expecting to learn writing, they left having friends they would have for the rest of their lives.”
~ Samuel Pressler, Founding Director of Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP)
“It’s been in some ways like a homecoming, being with people who just ‘get it.’ There is a deep underlying emotion and feeling of connection. We’re all working through something, whether it’s someone whose war ended before I was born, who’s still dealing with some of the things that took place there. Or somebody who may not necessarily be dealing with combat-related trauma, but trauma associated with their service. Knowing that really adds a degree of solemnity to what we do, even beneath the veneer or the shared humor.”
~ Anthony Roberts, U.S. Army veteran and Exit12 program participant
Participants of an Exit12 workshop during their culminating performance aboard the WWI aircraft carrier Intrepid. Photo by Alberto Vasari
The Power of Support
Caregivers on the Homefront retreats include transformative arts projects like mask-making where caregivers can discover their inner strengths. Photo by Chris Rahm
“What I have learned in this short but seemingly long journey is that you cannot do this alone. A caregiver never knows what the day may bring. Having a sound support system gives you the courage and strength to keep moving forward. Even if it is one day at a time.”
~ Shawn Moore, founder of Caregivers on the Homefront, currently part of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation
Healing in Action
Luz Helena Thompson works on a glass mosaic in her studio. Photo courtesy of Luz Helena Thompson
“Through that connection, I began to see that I have value. And in those moments when I don’t believe I have value or anything to offer because depression is whispering in my ear that I’m worthless…the Path with Art community—both staff and participants—show me in ways big and small that I matter.”
~Michelle Murray, U.S. Army veteran and Path with Art participant
“To be a visual artist has brought me joy and given me an opportunity to heal. I get to use broken pieces and make something absolutely beautiful out of all that brokenness.”
~Luz Helena Thompson, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and instructor at Path with Art
Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant applications are open until January 15, 2026, for arts-based projects for military-connected populations. To learn more and apply, visit maaa.org/CreativeForces.
Visit our website for more first-person stories about Creative Forces and how the arts are making a difference in the lives of United States military personnel, veterans, and their families and caregivers.
