By: Mary Sahagun

If someone told you their favorite painting was created by a horse, you might smile politely and assume they were exaggerating. But for Tricia Sybersma, founder of HeartWorks, that unlikely sentence has become a living, breathing truth.

HeartWorks began not in a gallery, but in the quiet spaces where Tricia felt most at home, among animals and nature. Growing up in subsidized housing in a wealthy tourist town, she discovered early on that the contrast around her was really a choice point: respond with anger or turn toward curiosity and connection. It was in the company of animals that she found safety, presence, and a way of listening that would later form the foundation of HeartWorks.

Today, horses, a cat, and a dog have stepped into the role of artists (affectionately known as “Heartists”), creating intention-infused paintings with hooves, paws, and tails. These works are more than abstract designs. They are transmissions of resilience, presence, and unconditional love.

A Shift Toward Intuitive Creativity

HeartWorks challenges the traditional view of art as either talent or technique. The Heartists don’t “try” to impress; they simply express. 

Before each painting session, intention-setting practices drawn from HeartMath® coherence training help open the space between human and animal. Sometimes it begins with conscious grooming, other times with breathwork, always with gratitude. When the animals step onto the canvas, they move with instinct and energy, translating the unseen into color and motion.

This process mirrors Tricia’s own path. As an advanced student of Dr. Joe Dispenza’s work, she understands how transformation is rooted in coherence and presence: “Animals live in a state of pure authenticity,” she often says. “They remind us to embody what we feel, not just think about it.”

Energy You Can Feel

What sets HeartWorks apart is how visceral the experience is. Customers routinely describe physical sensations, tingling, warmth, and even grounding when they touch or live with these creations. 

One woman placed her hands on the “Sacred Boundaries” blanket, painted by horse Gwen, and almost fell off her chair from the rush of energy she felt. Another, in the middle of a panic-filled drive in Mexico, calmed instantly when gifted a digital painting by Hanna the dog.

Tricia herself has seen this power in her daily life. She wears scarves infused with the Heartists’ work as a way to step into a chosen energy for the day. Others walk into meetings grounded by socks painted with the intention of “Infinite Potential,” or wrap themselves in blankets that feel, as one customer wrote, “like a hug that stays with you”.

Art That Lives With You

Unlike art that hangs silently on a wall, HeartWorks is designed to be lived with. Paintings are transformed into scarves, journals, tumblers, and home décor so that intention travels into everyday routines. These aren’t just pretty objects. They are reminders to pause, breathe, and return to presence, even in the middle of life’s chaos.

As Tricia describes it, “People are busy, messy, and stretched thin. But even a glance at your socks, or reading a card with a Heartist’s art, can create that moment of pause we call M&Ms—mini-meditations”.

The Radical Return to Instinct

At a time when AI-generated images can mimic any brushstroke and creativity is often optimized for algorithms, something as humble as a horse’s muzzle on canvas feels revolutionary. HeartWorks is not novelty art. It’s not about spectacle. It’s about remembering what animals have always offered: presence, trust, and a mirror to our own becoming.

For Tricia, who once felt out of place in traditional schooling and found her refuge in the barn, HeartWorks is both a personal and collective return. It affirms that creativity lives in all beings, and that when we listen to our hearts, to animals, to stillness, we unlock transformation.

A New Definition of Artist

HeartWorks reframes who gets to be called an “artist.” Horses like Gwen, Sofi, Summer, and Scout aren’t symbols; they are collaborators. Their art does not need to be explained; it needs to be felt. And in that feeling, people rediscover parts of themselves that stress and noise have buried.

As one testimonial so simply put it: “I can’t believe a dog painted this for me. Something really special about it; it’s hard to put into words”.

Maybe that is the point.

HeartWorks isn’t just redefining art. It is reminding us what it means to be human: curious, connected, and willing to listen to wisdom that comes not in words, but in presence.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. The experiences and descriptions shared in this article reflect the personal views and creative practices of the individuals and animals involved.