I’m Michelle Hurdle — artist, poet, designer, and explorer of connection. My creative work lives at the intersection of intimacy, embodiment, and healing.

For me, art isn’t separate from life. It’s the way I process complex experiences: living with CPTSD, navigating disability, embracing polyamory, practicing Kinbaku (Japanese rope art), and holding space for transformation. Each of these threads weaves into my work—sometimes literally in the form of rope, sometimes as textures, layers, or poetry embedded into the piece.

Whether I’m creating mixed-media visuals, digital illustration, or written word, my work begins from a deeply personal place — but it reaches outward, inviting viewers into spaces where tenderness, discomfort, and growth coexist.

I believe in honoring the body as both fragile and strong. In telling stories that don’t fit neatly into boxes. In creating pieces that feel like permission to simply be — messy, beautiful, broken, and whole all at once.

You’ll find rope imagery, poetry fragments, layered textures, and emotional landscapes throughout my work. Sometimes it’s soft. Sometimes it’s sharp. Always, it’s honest.

Welcome to my world. I’m glad you’re here.

Free Lunch Kiddos

An original piece by Michelle Hurdle, owner of MiCheri Designs

This one’s for the kids who started life 10 steps behind.

The ones raised on powdered milk and free lunch.

The ones who learned too early what it means to rely on the kindness or charity of others.

This piece honors children navigating systemic barriers in education, mental health, and opportunity.

Kids who carry adult burdens on young shoulders.

Poverty doesn’t just limit options, but it shapes the emotional, mental, and physical well-being and dampens the child's ambition.

And still, these kids show up.

Brave. Resilient. Creative.

This piece holds layers.

The blue and pink milk cartons reflect gendered expectations—how far some of us still have to travel just to be seen or treated equally.

It’s a nod to the women still making less, still working harder, still being left behind in spaces of power.

And this is for my brother—Wayne “Bubby” Quiring. My forever big brother and fierce protector. My neurospicy ride-or-die.

This is a deeply personal piece.

LOCATION: Westfield, IN

CONTEXT: I began this creation during a 3-day stay at a St. Vincent Mental Health facility in March of 2022. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type I. I checked almost every box in the DSM and wound up in this facility following an awards ceremony. I had been awarded two separate scholarship awards with Ivy Tech. I have not returned to school since this episode.

MEDIUM: felt-tip markers (ones allowed by the facility), cheap computer paper, Snapseed, Canva, with later iterations using Figma AI, ChatGPT, and a reflective heart.

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