Episode Details

In Episode 391 of The Art Box, Steve and co-host Terri Fitzsimmons sit down with Shannon Garza in the Mesquite Works STEAM Center recording studio for a thoughtful and deeply personal conversation about creativity, release, and the quiet rituals that shape who we become.

Shannon’s life and work sit at the intersection of curiosity and expression. Drawn to imagination and problem-solving from an early age, she learned that ideas could be shaped into something real, stretched, tested, and transformed into meaning. Encouraged by mentors to treat creativity as a practice rather than a talent, she has built a life centered on connection: between people, between ideas, and between the inner world and the outer one.

At the heart of this episode is Shannon’s vision for a Traveling Ribbon Tree, an evolving community art project inspired by her childhood in the desert. As a young girl, she would ride her horse to a lone, wind-worn sagebrush and tie ribbons to its branches, each ribbon holding a word or feeling she was ready to release. That simple act became her first lesson in letting go.

Now, she hopes to bring that ritual to communities everywhere. The Traveling Ribbon Tree invites people to write a word on a ribbon, a hurt, a fear, a burden, and tie it to a shared tree. As it moves from town to town, it becomes a living archive of human courage and honesty. A canopy of quiet release. A reminder that none of us carry our stories alone.

Throughout the conversation, Shannon shares her creative process — beginning with listening, moving through reflection and experimentation, balancing intuition with discipline. She speaks candidly about uncertainty, resilience, collaboration, and the evolving role of technology in creative life. Her recurring themes of connection and meaning reveal a worldview grounded in compassion, curiosity, and growth.

Shannon reflects on the importance of presence and inner freedom. She reminds us that growth is not linear, it loops and spirals, and that sometimes the smallest gesture can hold the greatest power.

The Giving Tree is a conversation about release, community, and creative courage. It’s about trusting the process, honoring ritual, and recognizing that healing, like art, is meant to be shared.

And in the end, it leaves us with a simple but profound truth: sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is name what we’re ready to let go, and tie it to the wind.