Breast cancer survivor Marcia Adams channels recovery into handmade art brand

Marcia Adams, who survived breast cancer, has turned hardship into a creative mission. Under her label Beauty Lies Within, she produces hand-painted coconut shells, denim artworks and handmade bags she hopes will motivate others to press on. For Adams, the brand is proof that adversity can give rise to strength.

After her diagnosis, she found solace in making things by hand. Channeling her energy into objects meant to lift others became a form of healing, she said, and every piece she finishes carries an encouraging note.

“I was thinking about what I could create to inspire someone out there. Every time they wear one of my pieces, I want it to remind them that inspiration comes from within,” Adams told THE STAR.

Last Friday she presented her work at the Christmas in July trade show at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel. When a model stepped onto the runway in one of her designs, Adams hurried forward and dropped to the floor to photograph what she saw as the ideal shot. Putting her creations before an audience, she said, is less about commerce alone and more about honouring the grit, sacrifice and endurance that mark her story.

“After putting in so much effort into my craft, with long hours and sleepless nights, and being a breast cancer survivor who has gone through so many obstacles, I have to get it right so people can truly see it,” she said.

Art entered her life almost by accident. In 2016, while studying at the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning to finish academic subjects, she spotted an art offering at the school and found a passion she had not expected.

“It was mainly painting and regular beads, but I started challenging myself and the inspiration just kept coming. I created so many beautiful pieces that people loved,” she recalled. “I would just create whenever an idea came to me. People kept asking if I made the pieces because they loved the concepts so much. They encouraged me to keep creating.”

She stayed focused on her studies, yet the pull of her artistic plans grew stronger.

“It wasn’t easy, but there was just this voice pulling me towards the dream and the vision I wanted to pursue. Sometimes I had to step away from classes to pour into the business, and they allowed me to come back.”

Backed by those closest to her, she formally registered the enterprise in 2018. Relatives and friends supplied materials that helped her get started.

“My support system showed up. Family and friends helped me with materials, and I took that and made a bigger investment in the business.”

Reflecting on what she has endured, Adams said each setback seemed to fit a larger design.

“When I look back on my life, the turns, the obstacles and everything I have accomplished despite all of that, it has to be the way the Creator wanted it to be,” she said. “Even now, when I have challenges in the business, things just fall into place at the right time.”

Her sternest trial arrived in 2021 after her son was born. Complications linked to retained placenta left her returning to hospital for treatment for roughly a month.