hi hello!

My name is Alyse Ruriani! I do a lot of things so this is a website for that.

I am an Art Therapist, a Licensed Professional Counselor, an illustrator, a graphic designer, a shop owner, a collage artist, a comic creator, a tarot facilitator, a speaker, a consultant, a mental health advocate, a published author, and a general I'm-gonna-make-or-do-this-thing-that-interests-me human.

Let's get you where you need to be.

online shop & wholesale

Heart Eyes is where I sell my art as stickers, prints, accessories, and whatever else my heart (or eyes) are set on! I also sell wholesale.

freelance & commissions

I accept limited freelance and commission illustration projects that seek my style, voice, and expertise for aligned projects!

speaking & consulting

I synthesize my lived experience and professional training to provide consultation and speaking services. 

art therapy & counseling

I provide individual and group art therapy and counseling in-person to folks in Chicago and virtually in Illinois.

got big feelings?

The Big Feelings Survival Guide is a creative workbook for mental health that incorporates Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Art therapy to help you cope.

Find peace and stability with this friendly, full-color, illustrated workbook filled with practical and creative exercises designed to improve your mental health.


Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a revolutionary treatment that helps people identify, cope with, and move through emotions. Art therapy uses creativity and techniques like drawing to help a person further explore their feelings and express them. What happens when you link them together? You get The Big Feelings Survival Guide, a unique and powerful workbook designed to yield insight and understanding.

Covering the three classic “parent emotions”—Anger, Fear, Sadness—the exercises are deceptively simple yet richly thought out, and each has a clinical underpinning. Draw a safe space for yourself. Scribble out angry impulses. Explore the mind-body connection by matching emotions with somatic sensations. Embrace confusion by working through a maze with different paths. Act out rebellious urges by painting a messy rainbow. Plus tips, games, and other practical help.

There is no wrong way to use this book. No art skills required. Just work through it with honesty and discover practical skills to help you engage in self-care, cope with life, and take care of your mental health.