TMHAAlicia Mueller does not consider herself to be an artist, but uses art as a form of therapy.

“Creating art is an emotional process for me and I tend to get lost in it,” Mueller said.

Her chalk and charcoal piece titled Rainbow Snail has been chosen as the featured work for Transitions-Mental Health Association’s 2014 Opening Minds art show.

Opening Minds is a community art show in celebration of living mentally well. The Opening Minds art show was first developed in 1995 to offer people with mental illness an avenue for personal expression and a venue to share art with the public. The show has since expanded to include the entire mental health community: those in recovery, their family and friends, service providers and more. TMHA’s goal remains the same today: to help the community see that people should not be defined in terms of their illness but by their strengths, gifts and by the contributions they make to society.

Mueller’s piece and more than 100 other works will be on display at the Steynberg Gallery located at 1531 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo from May 2 to 31. An opening reception will be held Friday, May 2, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The show is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The reception and show are open and free to the public.

The deadline for submitting art work to the Opening Minds show is Friday, April 25.

“People of all ages from the mental health community are invited to submit entries of artistic expression to the 2014 Opening Minds Art Show,” said show coordinator Jessica Arnott.

Mueller, this year’s featured artist, has lived most of her life on the Central Coast and has strong ties to the North County community. She worked for both the California Men’s Colony and the Atascadero State Hospital before retiring in 1995. It was around that time that her therapist diagnosed her with dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder.

“My therapist saved my life and art has helped me work through a lot of hard times in my life,” Mueller said. “I have always been creative and I found that when I couldn’t sleep, art was there to see me through the long dark nights. It gave me time to be creative.”

Mueller believes that many people are creative but that they do not realize it because they do not take the time to explore it.

Mueller’s artistic skills are self-taught with the exception of a beginning drawing class where she learned about charcoal. Her usual medium is acrylic abstract paintings or landscape oils, but ventured into charcoal and chalk when someone gave her the tools.

“I just picked it up and started to play, which eventually turned into Rainbow Snail,” Mueller said. “I found it hard to work with because it can get messy, but I liked the result.”

“I don’t have a plan in mind when I start a piece, I just let it flow. There is a lot of movement and emotion in my work. I get lost in the process and I am not worried about what people think of the outcome. The creative process is so enjoyable to me and makes me feel good.”

The Opening Minds Art Show has been an outlet for Mueller for many years now.

“I feel a strong connection to this particular art show,” Mueller said. “It is for people living with mental illness and that is me.”

Opening Minds is presented by Transitions-Mental Health Association’s Peer Advisory and Advocacy Team and San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Services. The show is funded by the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63).

For 65 years, Mental Health America has led the observance of May is Mental Health Month by reaching millions of people through the media, local events and screenings. TMHA supports this effort locally by hosting Opening Minds during this time.