“Life, Death, and Conversations About Everything in Between”
“Where Art meets Literature!”
My Purpose
To help myself & others break free from past childhood trauma, relationships gone bad, family or outside that have haunted us our entire lives! Creating artistic illustrations and literature has been very therapeutic for me for many years and still is today. I believe there is hope and freedom for myself and others and so, I want to share my message with anyone out there who is willing to read it.
My Creative Process
I wanted to share my stories with both art and literature, so I created “Eric Manning Book and Art Gallery.” I have been sketching and painting for over two decades and this creative process eventually gave me a language to express inside the stories of my books.
After finishing each of the pieces, I would wait days for them to dry and at times I noticed myself staring at my spiritual, psychological and emotional expressions for hours at a time contemplating the reality and relevance of them in my life. It was during these moments that I began to experience a freedom from my past trauma in the present and hope for my future which I could not deny.
As I added more and more pieces to my collection, they acted as visual aids, to inspire me to finally attempt to “write from the heart” about what I had been through and the redemptive process continuing to go on inside me. Although very difficult at times, my writing about the artwork helped me get through the many tragedies of the past that were brought up into the present moments of intense pain.
Pull Quotes from The Secret that Kills / The Spirit That Saves
What’s new
February 26, 2026 – The “Dose of Reality” Episode for the “Through the Abyss” podcast is now live! It’s title is, “Dose of Reality – My painting process used as therapy to recognize and purge childhood abuse.” We talk about this painting, discuss the creative process, the motivation behind it, and why I continue to create new pieces. You can also see a short “animated” version on YouTube.
January 2026 – I’ve just dropped the first episode of the “Through The Abyss” podcast on YouTube. Titled, “Uncovering The Uncomfortable Truths In Our Relationships” In it, I talk with Stuart about how relational patterns are created and persist, and how we recognize them and want to change them. Please check it out. I’ve also uploaded a couple of “Shorts” that excerpt parts of the episode. One is “Exploring Life’s Meaning and Relationships” and the other is “Navigating Control and Freedom in Friendships“.
December 2025 – I just finished my newest piece, titled, “Forever Christmas“
Eric’s Blog: “Artistic Perspectives of Recovery”
What’s Up and Coming
Early 2026 – We are creating ongoing episodes of a podcast called “Through the Abyss” where we will talk about the meaning and purpose of my literature and artwork as it relates to many different relational issues that come up in people’s lives.
Winter 2025 – I’m ready to edit and publish a new illustrated poetry book titled, “Grace Under Pressure and the Dragon of the Sea.” It is based on the “Grace Under Pressure” painting that I finished in 2022.
Social Media
First episode of YouTube Podcast “Through The Abyss”.
YouTube video extract about a conversation after publishing “The Secret That Kills / Spirit That Saves” (uploaded May 2024)