The Ash Story: Where Art, Sacrament, and Spirit Meet

This conversation with Ash… also known as Maskiss… is about far more than art. It's about what happens when someone pours spirit into color, character, music, and creation… and then finds a community that actually sees it. Ash shares the long arc of being an artist from the very beginning of life, the strange and beautiful influences that shaped their style, and the way their inner world became populated with vivid beings, protectors, singers, painters, and living symbols of connection. That energy now lives inside the Colorado Psychedelic Church's art cards… not just as decoration, but as something intentional, relational, and deeply alive. The conversation also moves into Ash's healing journey. Cannabis became an early doorway to feeling, clarity, and self-recognition in the middle of abuse, fear, and isolation. Mushrooms later opened a different kind of space… one filled with overwhelming sensation, vision, vulnerability, and artistic fuel. Throughout it all, art remained the thread… the place where pain could become meaning, where confusion could become character, and where spirit could become visible. There's also a beautiful truth running underneath everything Ash says: Being seen matters. Being welcomed matters. And sometimes the first step toward healing is simply finding a space where your gifts are not only accepted… but needed. Key Themes & Moments Ash's lifelong relationship with drawing and visual storytelling A style shaped by vibrant color, creatures, fantasy, horror, and worldbuilding Pokémon, Silent Hill, and other early influences How Ash found the church while looking for a safe way to connect with mushrooms Why the website, Discord, and art channel immediately felt right Becoming the community's resident artist through the art card project The meaning behind Maskiss, Art the Painter, and Sample the Singer Creating art as a spiritual act… and characters as living companions Why physical creative space matters so much Painting With a Trip as a place of shared focus, energy, and belonging Cannabis as an early medicine for clarity, feeling, and survival The role cannabis played in helping Ash recognize and leave abuse Mushrooms as overwhelming, transformative, and creatively catalytic Art as the place where difficult experiences get metabolized and transformed The importance of being heard, being seen, and letting people prove they care   About Ash Ash uses they/them pronouns and also goes by Maskiss. They are the Colorado Psychedelic Church's resident artist and the creator behind the current art card series used within the community. Their work blends color, creature design, painterly energy, spiritual symbolism, and deep emotional intention Ash also helps lead the creative spirit of the community through Painting With a Trip, where congregants gather to make art together in a shared, welcoming space. Contact & Learn More To see Ash's work, learn more about the church, or get connected with the community: Colorado Psychedelic Church Website: coloradopsychedelicchurch.com You can also join the Discord through the website to connect with the community and explore the art channel. If you're interested in Ash's work, commissions, or future art collaborations through the church, reaching out through the website is the best place to start. Subscribe & Share If this conversation stirred something in you… especially if you're an artist, a creator, or someone who has been waiting for a space where your sensitivity is a strength… share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you've been looking for a place where your voice, your vision, and your weirdness might actually belong… This might be it.