Hello, I am Michelle Miller
Creative Director, Multidisciplinary Artist, and Creative Practitioner
Michelle Miller is a multidisciplinary artist and Creative Director of On Our Trail whose work explores creativity as a means of reflection, healing, and survival. Working across paper arts, drawing, mixed media, and experimental materials, she approaches art as both a craft and a necessary process for understanding and communicating life’s deeper experiences.
“Art is not optional for me. It is how I process, communicate, and make sense of life.”
Creative Practice
Michelle Miller is a multidisciplinary artist and creative director whose work explores creativity as a means of reflection, survival, and transformation. Working across a wide range of materials—including handmade paper, watercolor, drawing, collage, book arts, and experimental recycled media—her practice centers on the belief that creative expression is both a craft and a vital form of personal processing.
Rather than specializing in a single medium, Michelle intentionally developed as a multidisciplinary maker. Her approach focuses on understanding the physical properties of materials and how they behave, allowing her to work fluidly across mediums. This “jack-of-all-trades” approach informs both her artwork and her role as Creative Director for On Our Trail, where she develops project concepts, creative systems, and future educational programming.
Early Creative Development
Michelle’s relationship with art began in early childhood. By the age of six she was already creating purposeful pieces, often designing and making gifts rather than purchasing them. That early impulse—to make what she saw rather than simply consume it—became the foundation for a lifelong creative practice.
Largely self-taught, Michelle has pursued creative learning through formal classes, independent study, experimentation, and community engagement. She studied art throughout her school years, participated in community art programs and summer classes, and explored digital art and 3D modeling tools such as Maya. Much of her artistic development, however, has come through hands-on experimentation across many materials and techniques.
Community & Creative Leadership
Michelle has spent many years teaching creative classes within community settings including churches, libraries, community centers, restaurants, and small group gatherings. Beginning in her teenage years, she has designed and instructed numerous art and craft projects for participants ranging from preschool children to senior adults.
She currently participates in Crafter’s Clique, a weekly gathering focused on exploring new creative techniques. She is also the founder and organizer of Crafty Card Collective, a monthly gathering where participants create Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) in a collaborative and welcoming environment.
Michelle also serves on the art committee for the annual art show organized by The Resource Exchange. The organization works with individuals with disabilities and their families to coordinate services and supports that promote independence and community inclusion.
Her connection to the organization is both creative and personal. Her husband receives disability support services through the organization, and Michelle serves as his caregiver through programs connected to Medicaid. Her artwork has been featured in several TRE art shows, where pieces are auctioned to support both the artists and the organization’s programs.
Current Work
Michelle’s studio practice currently focuses heavily on paper arts and experimental materials. Recent work includes handmade paper created from recycled sources, watercolor studies, mixed-media collage for Artist Trading Cards, drawing with Prismacolor pencils and alcohol markers, and large-scale cardboard construction projects.
She is also developing a deeply personal body of work exploring the inner experience of prolonged suicidal struggle and survival. After many years marked by profound crisis, art and faith became essential tools that helped sustain her through extended periods of suffering. Because words often fall short when describing those experiences, this upcoming series seeks to communicate that inner landscape through visual form.
Artistic Philosophy
For Michelle, creativity is not merely a hobby or aesthetic pursuit. It is a necessary practice—one that allows difficult experiences to be processed, understood, and expressed.
Her work continues to explore how artistic creation intersects with emotional resilience, psychological reflection, and spiritual meaning. Through On Our Trail, she hopes to cultivate spaces where creativity is not only practiced as a skill but embraced as a meaningful process for personal growth, healing, and connection.
Behind every creative practice is a personal story. If you're interested in learning more about the experiences that shaped my work and perspective on creativity, you can continue to my personal page.
Through kits, sculptures, and creative experiences, we invite you to pause, reflect, and turn inspiration into something tangible.
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