Lynda McLeod
In grade 10, I was told I would never be an artist. I began drawing anyway—to help myself learn, and because it fed my soul. Drawing to help myself learn boosted my biology marks so high that I was encouraged to check ‘nursing’ on a college application—though it was never a deliberate choice.
After graduating, I began my first job in Toronto, dressed head-to-toe in white with my nursing cap pinned in place. From that day, I was “Lynda, RN,” carrying the Code of Ethics in my pocket to calm my fear of making mistakes. That was over forty years ago.
I launched my career working in every ICU downtown Toronto, taught hemodialysis, and later moved west to teach RNs in both college and university settings. After completing my master’s in leadership, I developed and taught holistic health courses, believing healthcare was shifting toward a more inclusive paradigm, Integrative Health. I was passionate about relational practice, the art of nursing, and preparing students for a health system that valued self-care.
Art was my constant companion—a self-care practice that helped me process the intense and often overwhelming experiences of nursing. Without the reflective process of creating art, I doubt I could have continued in the profession. This passion grew into ART by Nurses, a not-for-profit movement honoring nurses who, like me, turn to creativity for restoration. In 2007, I curated Healing Hallways at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, filling corridors with color, story, and the healing power of art.
Today, l am a social artist using art as activism and a bridge to bring people together. How can art acknowledge silenced voices, address systemic power, and help people reclaim personal agency through resilience—especially in the wake of the declared pandemic? In 2021, I chose not to renew my nursing license when told to disclose private medical information, violating the code of ethics in exchange for my right to work. I now practice as a health promotion coach, integrating my nursing, relational practice, and creative expertise. It is an arts-based intervention that is empowering.
Painting is my meditation. Portraiture allows me to connect deeply with others, beginning with the eyes—the windows to the soul—and using light and color to reveal the essence beneath roles and labels.
Art Exhibit: Re-Humanization HeART Movement
I invite you to join the next Re-Humanization HeART Movement Art Exhibit in April 2026 at the SelfCare is Healthcare Retreat Conference.
This art exhibit explores art as a healing modality as each painting expresses individual responses to the imposed social changes which for many involved de-humanization. The art and art exhibit offers a healing and re-humanization forum.
https://www.createwithlynda.com/post/the-rh-m
https://www.createwithlynda.com/galleryWorkshop: Light Your Creative Fire
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
― Albert Einstein
This two part workshop (Friday night & Sunday) gives learners the chance to experience, discuss, and actively engage in the creative process—helping you decide how to weave this magical practice into your daily selfcare routine. By visiting and learning about the ReHumanization HeART Movement exhibit, you’ll discover how color, music, and stories influence health and wellness. The course will spark the fire that lives within us all, inspiring not only our inner healers but also anyone who longs for a life filled with joy.
Can’t wait.
Lynda McLeod BScN MALT CPCC
I invite you to participate in the Re-Humanization Art Exhibit at SelfCare is Healthcare by having your portrait done now, prior to the event. This opportunity allows you to experience art as self care before the event and you will be part of the Art Exhibit and after the portrait will be your’s.
If interested please email createwithlynda@protonmail.com
Ethical and Procedural Responsibilities of Registered Nurses in Canada, August 6, 2025,