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Seattle , WA — For Navy Veteran Melissa Von Ruden of Seattle, WA, art is not just a way to create beauty – it’s a way to reclaim identity from pain and rediscover the light within. VA Puget

Sound Health Care System's, Von Ruden was selected to participate in the 2025 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival. Her piece—an evocative collection of gears, moths, silhouettes,

and celestial poetry—resonated deeply with fellow Veterans and earned her the Therapeutic Arts Scholarship. To be eligible, VA staff members nominate only one Veteran who has placed first in

the local level of competition from their facility. The scholarship covers the cost of meals and lodging to attend the NVCAF. Von Ruden served in the U.S. Navy as a degaussing technician,

working in the precise and often demanding world of electrical calibration. Her military experience, she says, was both “traumatizing and wonderful,” and like many Veterans, she left service

with both visible and invisible scars. “I used art while I was in the military to try to come back to feeling like myself,” she shared. “Art became a way to express the things I couldn’t

say—especially about my body breaking down and feeling like a failure.” Earth Suit was born from those deeply personal struggles. After a debilitating back injury left her leg paralyzed for

three months, Von Ruden found herself questioning her identity and worth.  “I started asking myself: are we our body’s faults? If my body is failing, does that mean I am?” she recalled.  The

emotions that followed became the foundation for her artwork—a visual and poetic symbol of the separation between physical limitations and the enduring soul. Crafted with acrylics, 3D

textures, and tactile layers, Von Ruden’s work invites viewers to not just see—but feel. “I like to work with texture because it makes the piece feel alive. I want it to feel like something

you want to touch, to connect with,” she explained. Despite her passion and talent, Von Ruden was initially hesitant to submit her art. “I didn’t think anybody else would like it,” she

admitted. “I made it mostly for myself. But being selected made me feel seen—it was a sign that something I created might touch someone else’s heart.” Indeed, it has. The National Veterans

Creative Arts Festival, she said, has given her much more than recognition—it’s given her a community.  “After the military, I had a hard time making friends. But through art therapy and

this festival, I’ve met people who really understand where I’ve been. These are real friendships.” Von Ruden encourages fellow Veterans to take the leap into the creative arts. “Everyone is

an artist. You don’t have to create fine art to connect with others. We all have something unique to say.” Her message to others struggling with injury, identity, or self-worth is simple but

profound: “Your body may feel broken, but your soul is not. This body is just the suit we wear to walk this earth.” And through Earth Suit, Melissa Von Ruden illustrates how the creative

arts can uncover a sense of peace and enduring hope from within us all.