During her 15-year career as a special education teacher, Cyndi Sopenoff often used art projects to help her students learn to concentrate and follow directions.

Six years ago, she turned to art to help herself, putting her creative talents to work to create a second career in the wake of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the end of her teaching career.

"When teaching special education was no longer an option," she told NJJN, "I was fortunate enough to find something else that has filled my life with creativity and joy."

In 2001, the Wanamassa resident founded What's in A Name; she creates artworks based on customers' names that integrate characteristics of the individual's personality.

Sopenoff's diagnosis, which she received more than 20 years ago, changed almost every aspect of her life, she said, including, in 1988, her professional life.

She turned to her long-time love of art and creativity to seek salvation.

When the pain of the degenerative disease kept her awake in the middle of the night, Sopenoff said, she would often make her way to her computer and experiment with elements of design. She discovered that becoming immersed in art helped her cope with the severe discomfort inflicted by her physical challenges. Sopenoff later enrolled in art courses at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, where her husband, Ron, is a full-time professor (the couple has two sons, ages 26 and 23).

In 1999, Sopenoff learned about Ticket to Work, a government program that enables those with physical disabilities to receive training in various areas of vocational rehabilitation. Although mobility was an ever-increasing problem, she joined a Ticket to Work program that was offered at a county location. She quickly learned computer programs that enabled her to create elements of graphic design with her own artistic flair.

And she was able to work from her home, which helped eliminate transportation challenges.

Sopenoff began to design the covers of the sisterhood bulletins at Temple Beth Miriam in Elberon, where her family maintains a membership. Other temple members and friends learned of her new pursuit and offered encouragement. By 2001, What's in a Name took shape.

Through telephone conversations and e-mail exchanges, Sopenoff learns about the person whose name she will customize. She then sketches her ideas on watercolor paper and chooses colors based on her customers' décor and personal preferences.

Sopenoff often scours the Internet for images that can be incorporated into her projects. She composes a light pencil drawing of the name and all its elements. In a recent project involving the name of a friend's grandmother, for example, she incorporated Sabbath candles — representing the letter "l" — and dotted the letter "i" in the name with a star of David, to reflect the grandmother's observance of Jewish tradition. In another, "Granma," the letters are stylized to resemble Hebrew characters and Grandma herself serves a traditional Shabbat meal.

As the project develops, more significant colors are added through the use of watercolors, pastels, metallic inks, and prisma colors. Sopenoff take a digital photo of the project, crops it down to size, and sends the photo to the client to get feedback for any final revisions. She writes a personal note for each customer that explains how she created the design.

Sopenoff has created more than 70 projects since 2001. Approximately 50 percent of her customers are Jewish, although not all request a religious theme. She has personalized names for people in every age group and for every occasion — the New York City skyline and copies of playbills can be found in the names of theater buffs, and images of candies, cartoon characters, pets, toys and games, and skateboards have been incorporated into the name designs of young children.

"I include university logos, sports teams, talents, hobbies — you name it, and I've designed it," said Sopenoff. "I've done projects for birthdays, housewarmings, weddings, career changes, and I've learned the possibilities are endless. And that's a good thing for me to remember in my own life."

On some of her more difficult days, Sopenoff said, she wonders about the challenges that lie ahead. But a spirit of optimism usually surfaces that is born of her gratitude for having found a vocation that fulfills and sustains her, she said, and her attitude is also enhanced by the love and support of family and friends.

"I have a husband and children whom I adore and who have given me hope and encouragement every step of the way," said Sopenoff. "And I'll keep going. Always."