Birthday

A New START: Celebrating Five Years of Transformation

There’s something special about birthdays. They mark time, growth, and transformation—moments to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. This year, I, Dina Palma, am celebrating not just my own birthday but also the fifth birthday of START Creative Arts Therapy. Five years ago, I took a leap—one that required me to rewrite the story I had been telling myself for far too long.

For years, I lived by a narrative that I didn’t even realize was shaping my life. I had a fixed story playing on a loop—one that reinforced limitations instead of possibilities. I focused on red flags—the people who doubted me, the challenges that made me question myself, the moments that seemed to confirm that I wasn’t capable, creative, or knowledgeable enough to change my own path. My attention stayed locked on these perceived failures rather than the green flags—the experiences that proved I had everything I needed to step into something bigger.

But here’s the thing—I wasn’t alone. There was a whole community of people who saw me for my strengths and capabilities. They saw my creativity, my drive, and my ability to build something meaningful long before I fully embraced it myself. Yet for a long time, I let the voices of doubt take center stage, drowning out the unwavering support of those who believed in me. I was so focused on who didn’t align with me that I nearly missed the ones who always did.

Source: Woodstock Music Shop

This cognitive distortion—this negative filter—was like listening to Side A of an album with a scratch on it. The same song, the one I liked the least, kept playing over and over. And I believed that was the only song I had. I ignored the fact that there was an entire Side B—one filled with possibility, with proof of my strength, my creativity, my ability to build something meaningful.

Then, I flipped the record.

This wasn’t just mental filtering—it was confirmation bias in full force. I subconsciously sought out only the evidence that confirmed my fears while dismissing any proof to the contrary. Even when I succeeded, I chalked it up to luck, while failures felt like absolute truths. Overgeneralization played a role too—one rejection felt like universal proof that I wasn’t meant for something bigger. It was exhausting, and worse, it was incomplete.

START was literally a new start—not just professionally, but in how I saw myself and engaged with the world. It wasn’t about becoming someone new. It was about finally recognizing the version of myself that had always existed, but that I had learned to ignore.

This shift wasn’t just personal; it reflects the foundation of Narrative Therapy, the very framework that now informs so much of my work. Narrative Therapy teaches us that the stories we tell ourselves shape our reality. When we rewrite the narrative, we change the way we engage with life. We stop seeing ourselves through the lens of old limitations and start seeing the truth—our experiences are rich with proof of resilience, creativity, and capability.

Five years later, START has become a home for creativity, healing, and redefining what’s possible. It has grown into a space where others can also discover the power of their own untold stories. Whether through art, music, movement, or simply being in a community of people who see and honor your journey, START is a reminder that change begins the moment we allow ourselves to see what has always been there.

So, as I celebrate another year of life and another milestone for START, I invite you to flip the record on the story you’ve been telling yourself. To stop focusing on the scratches and to start listening to the full album. You are more capable, creative, and ready than you know.

Let’s celebrate together. Let’s START.