Giving Back Smiles: How My Story Became My Mission

(Photo: Our daughter at 2 weeks — tiny, brave, and already teaching us what beauty truly means.)

Because every smile tells a story — and every story deserves to be seen.

There are certain moments in life that shape you so profoundly, they become part of the way you see the world — and yourself.

I was born with a cleft lip. A visible difference that, from the very beginning, shaped how I moved through the world — how I expressed, connected, and was perceived.

Years later, I held my newborn daughter in my arms and saw that same story mirrored back to me. She, too, was born with a cleft lip. That moment changed everything. I was no longer just the child who had lived it — I became the mother holding the next generation through it.

What followed was a journey of healing, surrender, and fierce love — through surgeries and scars, uncertainty and grace. And somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing the body as something to “fix,” and began to see it as sacred. As beautiful. As a vessel of soul and spirit.

That shift lives in everything I now create.

My sculptures are offerings — carved not just from wood, but from silence, stillness, and stories too deep for words. Each piece I make is infused with the intention to soothe, to centre, and to reconnect. With ourselves. With our spaces. With the knowing that we are already whole.

And through this work — I give back.

A portion of every artwork sold supports Operation Smile Australia, an organisation close to my heart. Their mission is simple and powerful: provide free, life-changing cleft lip and palate surgeries to children in need, around the world.

Because giving back smiles...
is giving back dignity.
is giving back confidence.
is giving back light.

A moment held in three frames — Before: her original smile, wide and unfiltered, just as she arrived. During: the quiet strength of a mother and daughter wrapped in hospital gowns, hearts beating together through the unknown. After: a tender glimpse of transformation — her first new smile, soft and swollen, but full of possibility. A sacred journey of courage, surrender, and love 🤍.

Why It Matters

Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft condition.
In many parts of the world, safe surgery isn’t an option.

But in just 45 minutes, a single operation can change a child’s life.

Thanks to your support, I’m able to contribute to this work.
Not just with donations — but with meaning.

This isn’t a marketing strategy.
This is personal.

This is about honouring my own journey — and my daughter’s.
It’s about standing with the children still waiting.
It’s about remembering that healing, like art, starts with presence.

Thank you for being part of this circle.
For collecting not just a piece — but a purpose.

With love,

Sureen