Unique Dreamers series for The Crumley House tells a story of beautiful, happy survivors and their determination.

The title was inspired by Shelia Coombs, a member of The Crumley House.  "I'm thankful that after my injury I found The Crumley House to live because I know I will be safe. It is the best place for a UNIQUE DREAMER like myself," wrote Shelia. 

The 2022 addition to the Unique Dreamers series is Happy Survivors, which reminds us to embrace the simple things because happiness is not found in grandness but in simplicity.

To capture the resilient spirit of The Crumley House members and to give the collection a tropical vibe, Hathorn used bright pinks, vibrant greens and ocean blues to create Happy Survivors.  After looking back through her notes from last year’s Unique Dreamers, three phrases stood out to Chasidy:  happy survivors, thankful for lemon water, and thankful for trips to Walmart. 

Happy Survivors remind us to be thankful for simple things—things to which many give no thought.  The Crumley House members are happy to be alive, to be participating in things so many take for granted, and to be surrounded by people who love, teach, and encourage them.

For this collection, Hathorn designed two 6' x 9' backdrop panels for The Crumley House Beach Party's main stage and created  four mixed-media paintings (9” x 12”) on canvas.  To create the collection, Hathorn used Lukas and Liquitex acrylic paints, Montana Gold and Lak professional spray paints, Sennelier acrylic inks, and composition gold leaf.  Using the rain to her advantage and embracing her inner child, Chasidy put on her raincoat, layered on paint, and let God do the rest.

Unique Dreamers 2021

Copies of the original submissions by the members comprise the first layer of the panels. Chasidy wanted to build a foundation that represented the struggles and perseverance of the brain injury survivors.

There are eleven layers in each of the mixed-media pieces. Chasidy used paper, acrylic paints, inks, graphite, ​gold and copper leaf, and other elements to bring her vision to life and to tell the story of the answers to the "I Am" and "I Am Thankful For" prompts given to the members. 

Wanting to connect with each member's words and to show their sparkle, Chasidy meticulously traced over their words using a gold leaf pen. It took her several hours to capture their words as accurately as possible. As she carefully followed each line, she thought about how each member worked so hard to put their thoughts on paper. "I cried a lot, and I prayed a lot while creating these pieces because each line, each word, made me realize I needed to be more grateful for the things so many can’t do or struggle to do," explained Hathorn. ​

Unique Dreamers is part of Chasidy's Dreaming series. Dreaming began in 2020 when Chasidy took to her studio and turned on her imagination as a way to escape the constant barrage of pandemic and political news. While listening to The Hip Abduction, she danced around her studio and created paintings filled with fun, bold colors, lots of movement, and a little sparkle. Unique Dreamers is a perfect fit for this series because time waits for no one, so we all need to live life to its fullest. 

A peek into the Unique Dreamers process

DRUM ROLL...FULL REVEAL OF UNIQUE DREAMERS

"I Am" is panel one of the UNIQUE DREAMERS set.

"I Am Thankful For" is panel two of the UNIQUE DREAMERS set.