This month we’re featuring Michael, a Navy Veteran who served as a Photographer’s Mate aboard the USS Saipan (LHA-2). A lifelong creative, Michael has been playing guitar since he was 17 and continues to express himself through both music and photography.

These days, he especially enjoys capturing moments in nature and photographing his grandchildren. For Michael, CAVARTS represents camaraderie, connection, and a supportive space where “Vets get Vets.” His advice to fellow artists is simple: “You do You!” 🎸📷

This month we’re honored to highlight a powerful poem from Tanya, a U.S. Navy Veteran, retired nurse, and mother of four. As a busy parent and proud partner, Tanya also shares her life with her service dog, Charley, who loves traveling by her side. Through her creative work, she’s discovering new ways to express emotions that can be difficult to put into words.

This CAVARTist uses songwriting as a powerful tool for healing and connection. After facing major depression following his retirement in 2007, he picked up the guitar and began writing songs as a way to cope — a practice that has since become a daily passion.

Now working on his first album, Noah credits music with helping ease his depression and anxiety and finds purpose in sharing stories that resonate with others. Through CAVARTS, he values the community of Veterans who use art to support one another and keep moving forward.

Army Veteran Bonnie Larson (1984–2005) is a multimedia artist based south of Tucson, Arizona, who uses glass, watercolor, and fiber arts to transform lived experience into powerful visual storytelling. Her mixed media piece “But You Look Good” explores invisible wounds — including Military Sexual Trauma, wartime PTSD, and Trigeminal Neuralgia — while reflecting her journey toward healing and post-traumatic growth. Bonnie credits art with improving her mental health and values CAVARTS as a space for connection, creativity, and combating isolation.