Helen Fenner lives with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety.
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Mrs Fenner, of Ashtonfield in Maitland, tells stories through art for therapy.
Her husband Stephen Fenner died in 2018, having been through a lung transplant, two heart valve replacements and a stroke.
Mrs Fenner's artwork is on display at an exhibition at Flourish Australia in Newcastle.
"Flourish tends to focus on the positive," Mrs Fenner said.
"It makes you feel good to tell your stories and connect to others, so you're not empty or alone in life. You're able to fit into society."
Flourish has helped her since her husband passed away. She finished a TAFE course that earned her a diploma in visual arts.
"Flourish gave me strength, confidence and courage to go on," she said.
"They plant the seed, water it, nourish it and pull out the weeds. When it grows, it becomes a tree and each branch connects to something else."
She receives funding from the NDIS, which she said greatly helps her.
"They didn't have the NDIS 35 years ago when my son was born. I started to have negative thoughts and post-natal depression then," she said.
Mrs Fenner lives with a condition called schizoaffective disorder. To think more clearly about her life, she likes to think of herself as holding many roles - mother, daughter, grandmother and person. "I didn't do art for years because of my role as a mother. My mental illness tended to get in the way."
She has three kids and five grandkids and her parents are in their mid to late 80s.
"Each piece of our life connects to something. That's why I use jigsaw design in my art sometimes," she said.
Flourish Australia manager Angus Perrin said "Helen is a prolific artist".
Mr Perrin said art therapy is "a way of expressing yourself."
It helps those involved to "dig a little deeper in a safe environment", without having to trigger themselves through talking, which may occur with psychiatrists for example.
"Art therapy is also for people who don't have the words to express themselves. It is a really good approach for that," he said.
Flourish Australia is like a "giant extended family", with a sense of community and "no judgement on people who are unwell".
Mrs Fenner also has an exhibition at Reader's Cafe in East Maitland from November 5 to raise money for suicide prevention.
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