- Army veteran Belicia Adams comes from a military family and knows the mental health struggle that can arise from military service.

So she started #Paint22, a nonprofit that provides free art activities to veterans and their families to help them work through those emotions.

(gentle music) - I started off just drawing, and then I started off watercoloring.

And I'm more focused on photography now.

So I do a lot more like abstract painting and photography work, as my personal artist.

I've seen a need for #Paint22 the community.

When I was in the military, I was always creating, drawing on my downtime, poetry, and sharing that with other veterans.

Whether they did poetry or not, you know, they would write and we would collaborate.

So we would have those good moments, you know.

And seeing that we have our individuality still and creativity, and that's what I wanted to share to other veterans.

I was really focused on Mission 22, where it was more physical, the pushups.

And so I was inspired by them and I wanted to give another outlet.

There's a lot of these organizations that cater to, you know, veteran suicide that's more physical, you know, but there's no art.

So there's no painting activity, you know.

And you couldn't find anything where you can express yourself.

So that's where I found #Paint22 to be more helpful for the veterans.

22 is the amount of veterans that take their life from suicide.

So that is a daily average and it does fluctuate.

It is actually higher now.

It's around 25 to 26.

We hope to lower that by providing that other outlet where they can, you know, express themselves.

(gentle music continues) - I was in the United States Air Force.

I joined when I was 17 years old.

I was still in high school and probably too young to really make a important decision like that.

I was in the job of logistics.

And then they put me in base supply where I used to just give anything that people needed for their deployments.

So when I actually left the Air Force, I was in a space where I was really depressed.

I was homesick.

But also, I was feeling really unappreciated in the military as well, just to be honest with you.

(soft piano music) Working with Belicia and #Paint22, she actually taught me the business aspect of being an artist.

So before it was mainly like, I used to think of an artist as like the starving artist.

And she taught me that putting my stuff in the right place is gonna catapult me into the perfect area.

I actually do art classes where I'm teaching people how to make seashell crowns.

And I recently did a mermaid swimming class for disabled veterans, actually even just for veterans, period.

It was actually done through Wounded Warrior Project.

And we bought the mermaid tails, and if anyone knows, mermaid tails are not cheap.

And so Wounded Warrior actually paid for the veterans to get mermaid tails as well.

And we taught 'em how to swim like a mermaid.

So three of those mermaids that came in and had pain in their body, said after the class that they felt better.

As well as one person actually got a mermaid gig after taking the class.

So it's great.

I think a lot of times when people are committing suicide, especially veterans, a lot of times it's because we've lost our mission in life.

You know, when you're in the military, you have a mission.

You feel important.

When you take that away, 'cause I think that's what I felt, and you take away purpose a little bit.

And so when you're doing your art, there's almost a sense of purpose.

(gentle music) - I went into the Navy.

I joined as a Undesignated Seaman.

I did stay with deck department, so I became a boatswain's mate.

And I am still currently serving in the reserves 20 years now, and then got deployed during my reserve time.

My experience in the military, it's always had its ups and downs.

I think my hardest moments in the military are leaving my kids.

And there was a lot of crying, which made me feel very, not a good mother, in a sense.

So I think that would be the most challenging times for me in the military.

But what I will say though is that I feel like my experience in the military has exposed me to such a variety of individuals and personalities, which has helped me immensely function outside of the military.

This is my military mother pillow.

I created it with the thought of my service in mind.

So I created it because of leaving my children at such a young, tender age.

So this is really a baby's pillow.

but instead of it being soft and small, it's actually hard and made of ceramics and still very fragile.

And the reason I made it, I really wanted to highlight my experience and my relationship with my kids, and realized that I will never get those small, precious moments back with them because of my separation.

But in it, I still found something really beautiful in this pillow.

#Paint22 has allowed me the opportunity to not only explore my motherhood in the military and it also allows me to express my identity as a woman service member, because it's also veteran-led and it's woman-led too.

So to me that fits a level of understanding that I don't always have to express or communicate.

'Cause sometimes I don't have the words to communicate those experiences.

So it's just very refreshing for me to be in a space with an organization that I don't have to add that extra layer.

I can just go straight into creating and expressing.

(light music) - I appreciate the military for what it's done for me.

I respect the people that are still in the military and continue to serve.

I just really want the message to be out there, to have your family time, you know, have that camaraderie with your family so they know what you're going through, and you can have that peace, you know.

(light music fades) - [Announcer] For more information, visit paint22.com.