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Danielle Festa has painted for as long as she can remember. After college, she decided to become an artist full-time.“I just knew I had to lean fully into it, because then I wouldn't live with regret,” Festa said.In 2021, Festa had a shocking talk with her cousin — one that turned her world upside down.“She was abused. And as a child, sexually assaulted. And it was from within the family," Festa said. "It was such a shock to me, to my mom, to our family."Full of emotions, Festa saw an opportunity.“When she cut her hair off and just had this glow about her, I was like, ‘Can I paint that?’ Because that, to me, feels like hope,” Festa said. Festa took her frustration out on the canvas, splashing paint on a dark background. Her cousin sits in stark contrast, glowing in a bright white and gold outfit they chose together. In Festa's gallery and on social media, the portrait started getting attention.“The amount of people that were reaching out to me and the impact it was having, I knew I needed to establish it as a nonprofit,” Festa said.That nonprofit is called The Aplomb Project. The mission is to paint those affected by a hard past and bring out their strength through color, light and imagination.“During the trauma they've been through, choice was not on the table. So to have it back in their hands as much as possible is so important to me,” Festa said.For Festa's subjects, the process starts with a conversation, like the one she and Jenny Tibbits shared.Higher-ups hazed them while they served in the Navy as a relationship they thought they had fell apart.“I drove out to Foley Beach near Charleston, South Carolina, where I was stationed, and sat on the beach and tried to take my own life,” Tibbits, a portrait recipient, said.Tibbits’ canvas weaves together elements of their past with an unreal level of detail.Festa uses real fabric in her work, taking pieces of clothing, garments and other materials important to the subject.Inspiration from classic works and intentional color choices show how much Tibbits has overcome and what's still ahead.“You have to embrace the change. You have to embrace 'both, and,' which is the good things that happen in your world, but also embracing the trauma,” Tibbits said.For Aleka Munroe, the trauma is still active. She faces the possibility of becoming a dialysis patient as she fights autoimmune diseases.“People tell me oftentimes, ‘Oh, look at you’re just such positive, so positive about it.’ I mean, all the time, I have my times where I cry and am frustrated and angry,” Munroe said.Festa and Munroe wanted to highlight strength from within, turning Munroe's cane, Grace, into a weapon to fight against her disease.It was a reflection that took a moment to see when she saw her portrait for the first time.“I remember the feeling of, ‘Well, I wanted to touch it.’ It was the first like, ‘Is that real?’ But it really was. My thought was, 'That's me? That's me!'” Munroe said.Lissa Curtis knows that moment well.In her portrait, the ballerina is vibrant after years of pushing through dark circumstances.“I was raped and sexually assaulted by a former ballet coach of mine,” Curtis said. “I was overseas in a foreign country. I didn't think I would make it home. And I did. I escaped with my life.”A liberation for Curtis came out in bold pink and teal — and a gift she won't soon forget.“I look at this and I just see this woman who has overcome, who has overcome the darkness. Like, that's not a part of my life anymore,” Curtis said.Nevin Brown is waiting to see his portrait for the first time.“I just want to be able to experience that moment, because that moment is going to be brief and nothing else is going to feel like that,” Brown said.Festa asked Brown if he would take part in the project, tapping into his own past as an adopted child in a white community.“There was early abuse and neglect, that I don't think anybody intended for,” Brown said.He's looking forward to becoming a member of a different community.“There are some people that are going to struggle with that, and there are some people that have gotten past those struggles, and you could benefit from engaging with people that have gotten past those struggles. They may be able to help,” Brown said.Festa is familiar with trauma herself. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2024.“Nobody expects that call,” Festa said.She said her art has become a way to deal with her ongoing pain.“It was like, if this is supposed to happen, if this was supposed to happen, I know I can handle it now because I have this incredible support system,” Festa said.Construction is underway for a new space for The Aplomb Project in Dover.“It's forever home. This is what it feels like, that this is going to be a space that we can grow into,” Festa said.Community members will be able to visit to create their own art, and Festa will have a new studio to create in.“That's what makes me very excited about this new opportunity, is that I think I'm going to start to see people coming into the space that didn't know they needed to be there,” Festa said.New visitors will be people like the ones who have already found their way to Festa, shedding light on their darkness.“The more we speak to the things that are painful, the more opportunity there is to repair and heal and be authentic,” Festa said.