The Creative
More than an actor and a director, Joanna Gleason is an artist with a love for paint and writing that helps bring the stories and images in her head to life on canvas and paper.
Joanna the Artist
Beyond her work in front of and behind the camera, Joanna is also an accomplished visual artist, creating pieces that reflect her intricate view of the world. Her art often blends personal insight with universal themes, further demonstrating her boundless creativity.
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With a career that reflects a deep commitment to the arts, Joanna Gleason has influenced and inspired countless people, using her talent to break boundaries and open doors for future generations of artists. Her diverse body of work showcases not only her technical skill but her dedication to exploring the complexities of the human experience through multiple mediums.
Joanna the Writer
If you have grandchildren (or children for that matter) then you know the joy of watching them run crazy around the house! With joy in their eyes, they make a mess of your perfectly lived-in home, while you chase after them with laughter and awe as they discover a new thing at every corner.
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There's something incredibly special about seeing the next generation of your family develop their own personalities, quirks, and talents. Every milestone feels like a precious gift, whether it's their first steps, the way they laugh at something only they understand, or their boundless curiosity about the world. The beauty of it is that, unlike when you were raising your own children, you get to savor these moments more slowly, without the pressures of day-to-day parenting. You can marvel at the ways they remind you of their parents or discover entirely new traits.
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As I walk through the house after my grandchildren have gone to bed, I often find myself surrounded by a scattering of toys—action figures, dolls, and stuffed animals abandoned in playful chaos. And for some reason, each little trinket seems to whisper a story of its own, as if these seemingly ordinary objects could hold a deeper mythological meaning. It’s in these quiet moments, when the house is still, that I start to imagine a world where these toys could embody ancient Greek gods, each one with their own powers and quirks.
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We have Penelope unraveling, a trojan horse, Sisyphus, Scylla and Charybdis on the dunes, Poseidon, Odysseus and the siren, Narcissus, Medusa, Medea, Ajax, Achilles, Bacchus, and more. The small knight could be a fierce warrior like Ares, the doll with a crown might channel the wisdom of Athena, and the action figures, poised in battle stances, might represent the eternal struggle between good and evil.
It’s the perfect inspiration for a book that I would love to write one day—one that blends childhood wonder with the timeless stories of gods and heroes, where every misplaced toy has the potential to come to life in a mythological universe all its own. The idea excites me, like an adventure waiting to be written, and I can’t help but feel that in the quiet remnants of play, there are endless stories just waiting to be discovered. Also, stepped on.
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