Portraits of a New Beginning: Manuel (Manny) Méndez

«When I was in prison, I painted. Art took me out of my dark time and opened the door to creativity. After I got out, art started calling me again. And that was an incredible form of therapy. I felt more spiritual; it was medicine. Art saved me.»

Manny Méndez was released from prison in 2000 after serving 11 and a half years. He had been drug-free for some time, but upon his release, he fell back into addiction. The next 12 years were tough. “I know what it’s like to live on the streets with no place to sleep,” Méndez says. “The hardest part was changing my mindset and gaining discipline. My grandfather was in prison; my father was in prison.” While he was serving his sentence, a pastor from The Lord’s Place organization provided him with art supplies, and he began a transformation. When he found himself in front of an audience of 400 people talking about a painting, he decided that it would be his life’s purpose. “I painted not to make money, but because it healed me and gave me a connection to God,” Méndez says. “When I give a talk, I say it’s not an easy process. Nothing good comes easy.” Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1972, Méndez has lived in the United States since 1980. He now pursues an artistic career focused on rehabilitating people with addictions, wrote the book “From Revolution to Revelations”, has directed six documentaries on addiction, and since 2014 has organized The Art of Recovery Film Festival in Lake Worth, Florida.

^{* The testimonies in "Portraits of a New Beginning" were collected and edited by Ana María Carrano, María Gabriela Méndez, Olivia Liendo and Tamoa Calzadilla, under the coordination of Olivia Liendo and Ana María Carrano.}

Go to the homepage of the book “Portraits of a New Beginning.”