Hi, I’m Adina Rivers, the artist and heart behind Adina Kay Creations and Creating Differently.

I’m a New Orleans girl who now calls the beautiful Pacific Northwest home. I’ve always been drawn to creating—whether through painting, cooking, writing, decorating, or simply finding ways to make everyday life a little more beautiful.

In 2019, my life took an unexpected turn when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Eventually, Parkinson’s forced me to retire earlier than I had planned and changed the way I did many of the things I loved. My hands didn’t always cooperate. Tasks that once seemed simple required more patience, adaptation, and sometimes an entirely new approach.

But I never stopped wanting to create.

That is where Creating Differently was born.

For me, creating differently isn’t about focusing on what I can no longer do. It’s about discovering what I can do—and sometimes surprising myself along the way.

After undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), I found myself entering another chapter of my creative life. I returned to my watercolors with a renewed sense of possibility, experimenting with softer colors, coastal scenes, nature, and the little details that make a place or moment feel special.

My artwork is deeply influenced by the two places that have shaped me: the warmth, color, food, and spirit of New Orleans, and the quiet beauty of the Pacific Northwest—its water, evergreens, misty mornings, shorelines, and changing skies.

Today, my original watercolor artwork is becoming something I can share with others through Adina Kay Creations, including greeting cards and stationery created from my paintings. Each piece begins as something personal, and many have a story behind them.

I’m also passionate about sharing my Parkinson’s and DBS journey. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with others considering DBS and to participate as a patient ambassador and panelist. If sharing my experience makes someone else feel a little less uncertain or helps them see what may still be possible, then telling my story has purpose.

Outside of my studio, I love cooking, writing, spending time with my husband and friends, and dreaming up my next creative project. I’m especially inspired by the stories we attach to the things we make—the recipe handed down through a family, the painting that reminds us of home, or the card chosen because it says something we sometimes have trouble putting into words.

Creating Differently is more than the name of my website. It’s become a way of living.

Life may not always look the way we imagined it would. Sometimes we have to change our tools, our pace, or even our plans.

But we can still create.

We can still grow.

And we can still make something beautiful.

— Adina
Artist • Creator • Storyteller