MIKE GADDY - Rebuilding Life, Creating Art

POETRY ON THE PORCH

For prints and original paintings: www.artbystevej.com

Survivor. Artist. Builder of Gray Matters. Rebuilding piece by piece — and turning the aftermath into art. Founder of Gray Matters Coaster Art

MIKE GADDY

<h3>Born From the Break</h3>I didn’t rise from some polished plan or perfect moment. I came from the break — the hard stop, the blackout, the stroke that split my life into “before” and “after.” Everything I am building started right there, in the quiet wreckage, with a hand that wouldn’t move and a mind that refused to quit. This is the part most people skip, but it’s the part that made me. The aftermath didn’t end me. It introduced me. <h3>The Fine Motor Home Therapy Kit</h3>This kit is where everything began. Not art. Not coasters. Not events. A simple, survivor‑made tool built to help my own hand relearn what a stroke tried to take. I built it for myself. Then I built it for others. Then I gave it away — because survivors deserve tools, not invoices. This kit is the backbone of Gray Matters. It’s the reason the brand exists. It’s the reason the movement exists. It’s the reason I’m still here building.<h3>What I’ve Built So Far</h3>• The Fine Motor Home Therapy Kit — given to survivors at no cost • A survivor‑run micro‑press • A museum‑grade catalog of handcrafted artifacts • Crosses and faith‑coded pieces • Survivor Slam — a performance genre born from breath and truth • Poetry on the Porch — a community ritual • A movement built from the rebuild<h3>Why Gray Matters</h3>Because survivors deserve tools that help them rebuild. Because recovery doesn’t end in the hospital. Because rebuilding is an art form. Because every artifact, every event, every performance traces back to the kit that started it all.

About Gray Matters Coaster Art: A Journey of Survival, Art, and Purpose

Organizing and leading initiatives to support stroke survivors and promote awareness.

Media encourages community during covid 19 health crisis

Community Movement Building

Engaging talks on resilience, creativity, and transforming adversity into opportunity.

Motivational Speaking Engagements

Curated exhibitions showcasing the unique art born from the aftermath of stroke survival.

Gray Matters Art Exhibitions

Handcrafted, museum‑grade survivor artifacts built from the rebuild. Each piece carries truth, faith, and the quiet power of starting over — one small square at a time. Sold at Fayetteville markets, Poetry on the Porch events, and online through Gray Matters Coaster Art. Every sale helps fund the Fine Motor Home Therapy Kits given to survivors at no cost.

 Gray Matters Coaster Art

Sharing lived‑truth stories of stroke survival — the break, the rebuild, and the art that rose from the aftermath. I speak in community spaces, support groups, and anywhere survivors need to feel seen. I also perform Survivor Slam pieces around town at open mics, bringing raw, breath‑driven storytelling to the stage.

09-8128-10 Navy casualty gets autographs - Ensign Martha Lowry of the Navy Nurses' Corps adds her name to the list compiled by Seaman 1st Class Lawrence Sender of Cleveland, Ohio as the latter arrives in Silver Spring Maryland, on the last lap of a long trip which began after he was wounded in the invasion. A hospital ship transported Sender and 128 other Navy casualties from Europe. [Hospital ships. Transport of sick and wounded.] [Women.] [Nurses. Nursing.] [Scene.] Nurse Corps aboard Hospital Ships. 08/02/1944; File Number 46201

Stroke Recovery Storytelling

A survivor‑made rehabilitation tool created during my own recovery. Built to help my hand relearn what a stroke tried to take. Given to survivors at no cost — because rebuilding should never come with a bill. This kit is the backbone of Gray Matters. It’s the reason the brand exists. It’s the reason the movement exists. It’s the reason I’m still here building.

The Fine Motor Home Therapy Kit

Services by Mike Gaddy

My second painting ever in my life.

A survivor‑drawn interpretation of brain rewiring — bright, chaotic, alive.
A reminder that recovery isn’t quiet or linear; it’s electric, messy, and full of unexpected color.

A hand‑painted artifact honoring the slow, stubborn work of rebuilding neural pathways.
Made for survivors who need to see their progress in something they can hold.

A tribute piece for the people who stand beside survivors in the hardest moments.
Simple, honest, and built from gratitude.

Booth Display at a Local Market
A snapshot of Gray Matters in the wild — survivor‑made artifacts, community conversations, and the movement meeting people where they are.

The Fine Motor Home Therapy Kit

The survivor‑made rehabilitation kit that started everything.
Hand‑built during my own recovery to help my hand relearn what a stroke tried to take — and now given to survivors at no cost.

A bold, glowing piece created for night‑market energy and survivor visibility.
Proof that recovery can be loud, bright, and unapologetically alive.

Gallery

Title: Studie Blad 59 verso uit een schetsboek met 75 bladen. Publisher: Rijksmuseum Date: 1811 Providing institution: Rijksmuseum Aggregator: Rijksmuseum Providing Country: Netherlands Public Domain Studie - 1811 - Rijksmuseum, Netherlands - Public Domain.

3d illustration of floating plates. minimal design for inspiration. this picture consists of flat plates which are floating in the air.

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<h3>Born on a Porch, Built from Breath</h3>Poetry on the Porch didn’t start as an event. It started as a moment — a porch, a breath, a need for honesty, and a community ready to listen. No stage lights. No pressure. Just a front porch, a circle of chairs, and people speaking from the chest. What began as a simple gathering has grown into a ritual: a space where survivors, poets, neighbors, musicians, and first‑timers show up with whatever they’re carrying and let the porch hold it.<h3>What Happens on the Porch</h3>• People speak truth — messy, beautiful, unrehearsed • Survivors share stories of the break and the rebuild • Poets bring pieces that only land when the night is soft • Musicians drop in with raw, unplugged sound • Neighbors sit, breathe, and listen • Community forms in real time It’s not a performance. It’s not a show. It’s a circle.<h3>Why It Matters</h3>Because porch spaces are sacred in the South. Because community doesn’t happen in silence. Because survivors deserve places where their voices aren’t just heard — they’re honored. Because truth sounds different when it’s spoken under porch light instead of stage light. Poetry on the Porch is part of the Gray Matters movement because it carries the same heartbeat: rebuilding in public, together.<h3>When &amp; Where</h3>📍 Farmer’s Cat Café 2589 Gillespie St, Fayetteville, NC 🕰️ Fourth Monday of every month 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Bring your voice. Bring your breath. Bring your truth. Or just bring yourself and sit in the circle.<h3>How to Join the Circle</h3>Everyone is welcome — survivors, poets, storytellers, musicians, comedians, first‑timers, and folks who just want to listen. No sign‑up required. Just show up, take a seat, and let the porch do what porches do: gather people and make room for stories.

MIKE GADDY

About Gray Matters Coaster Art: A Journey of Survival, Art, and Purpose

Born From the Break

The Fine Motor Home Therapy Kit

What I’ve Built So Far

Why Gray Matters

Services by Mike Gaddy

Gray Matters Coaster Art

Stroke Recovery Storytelling

The Fine Motor Home Therapy Kit

Gallery

Strength grows in the pieces we rebuild.

Contact