We rise up with identity. Who are you? Who do you want to be? What’s stopping you from being that person right now?

Hello beloved friends. My name is Cherish Flieder, but you can call me Cherish.

I am so excited to be with you on this journey. I’ve been an artist and creative soul my whole life  Even though my younger self had many interests growing up (including dancing, playing music, singing, teaching my little siblings) it was at 12 that I truly knew I was going to be an artist. My parents took care of special-needs foster kids and also adopted kids, thus my house was always full of children. Being the oldest, I helped raise them.

When I met my husband, Benjamin, at a little Bible study in art college, it was instant love. Well, it was instant love for him.  It took me a little time to catch up, but we’ve been inseparable ever since.

Benjamin is a very special person. He is a two-time liver transplant survivor. He was born with a severe auto-immune disease called PSC that required a transplant when he was just a teenager. Unfortunately, it failed, meaning he needed another one immediately!!! Thank God he got it just in time and he is still alive to this day. However, the disease remains and he continues to battle the PSC daily in his health journey. In the face of this, he relentlessly pursues his passion as an artist author, illustrator, and storyteller!

I can tell you hundreds of stories of life-saving trips to the hospital for Benjamin and what it’s like to wonder at 3 a.m. if your loved one is going to make it …over and over and over again.

But I wanted to talk to you about identity. What I have discovered in my journey about my identity is that I am an Overcomer. Not only have I overcome numerous health scares with Benjamin, but I’ve also had many of my own. I’ve learned that through these medical challenges for myself, my family members, and my loved ones, it is important to live life with intention.

Life is short, but long. And it’s long enough to love and honor one another in all that we do. One could say that I’ve been through hell and I have found heaven. And God has gotten me through. So I’m here today because I am heaven-bent. I am here to share the hope, joy, and profound love I have found with you.

I want you to know that there’s hope for you, no matter what you’ve gone through and what you are going through both now and in the future. I want you to know there’s always hope.

We live in an amazing world, and I’ve learned so much through these corridors of great suffering, discovering many treasures along the way. I’m so excited to share many of them with you and entice you to crack open the door of curiosity about nature on Earth, our bodies, and beyond. It is my hope and joy to light your torch of insight and abundant life.

My story, why I’m here, is because I am an Overcomer. And I know that you can be too.

My experiences are backed by 20+ years in the creative arts and brand development—publishing and illustrating children’s books, designing logos, working in fashion, designing thousands upon thousands of patterns, and printing greeting cards.

I know what it’s like to win competitions and lose them. I know what it’s like to be featured internationally for your art and what it’s like to build an incredible “art of licensing” community of like-minded artists and professionals. I can tell you about the vulnerability of putting your heart on your sleeve as you develop your style and test it out into the world, and the joy that comes when people get it, see that spark of creativity, and ask you to make more of it. I could tell you stories about marketing and art, licensing, business, adventures, ups, and downs … but the bottom line is, I am here not to only share with you about making art, but how to make a beautiful LIFE, heart, body, soul, and spirit!

I invite you to join me on this journey of health, art, and true happiness, and together, let us find a life that is “Something to Cherish.”

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