The Girl With Arthritis

Last year, I did an eight week course. It was an art class almost every Saturday morning, from mid October to December. I really did enjoy the class: It was a lot of fun! I made friends within the class and got a lot of good artistic advice, and even more confidence in my work. I don't regret doing the class what so ever. My body, on the other hand, hated it very much. I tend to be busy over the week (and by 'busy,' I mean going to school, coming home and doing homework in bed). But those weeks were extremely busy for me: Things started popping up from nowhere! It was a bit more than I could handle. There was actually a point when I became so stressed out that accidentally spilling coffee on some paperwork I was supposed to be sending out sent me into a hysterical screaming fit. Mentally, I was breaking down. But the physical toll was much more intense. I lost my Saturdays to recover from school since I was out of the house by six thirty in the morning (just like every...

I'm a graphic design student. More or less, I study art. It's not an easy thing to study: There are sleepless nights working, sacrifices made and -of course- many, many tears shed. You put so much effort and work into what you do that if it were between you or your piece being hit by a bus, you would throw yourself into it. It's extremely hard, but it is very well worth it in the end. I've always had an interest in medicine. Since the age of three I said I was going to be a doctor when I grew up. That's obviously changed. But I still really like medicine, despite the fact that sometimes I feel like I live in a medical drama gone wrong. I do a lot of reading on the subject and watch a lot of reality documentaries about doctors, nurses and patients (international and otherwise). I am often able to understand 'doctor talk' and I think it's interesting. A lot of people have asked me why I don't study medicine if I'm so interested in it and keep a...

I had just spent the day in an art museum. I love art, obviously, and getting to see art from history and present day was wonderful. I think the historical art pieces are my favourite between the two, just because sometimes I like to just look at something pretty and not have to think about it's meaning. As I was looking around at the section on ancient Eygpt, I had a sudden realisation: Ancient Eygptians had arthritis. Seriously! Think about it. Look at any ancient Eygptian picture of people: They're very stiff looking. Even their statues were very stiff and rigid. They loved the heat, Wore linen pyjamas all day, and knew more about medicine than many cultures at the time, using myrtle leaves as a basic form of aspirin and lime stone as antacid. Need more proof? We even have a dance move like how they're pictured: The poor things! We've been picking on them this whole time not even realising it.    Well, maybe not all of them had it, but someone had to. :) ...

Originally I had another post planned, but last night a friend shared this video from YouTube and I had to share it. I feel that it's very important to not only those who are chronically ill, but everyone. I know some of you won't take the time to stop and watch- I don't blame you, I have tons of things to work on too and don't always have the time or ability (ex. Whilst using a mobile device) to watch. Thus, I'll tell you. A man named Phil Hansen wanted to become an artist and went to art school. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to draw a straight line. Phil's hands would constantly shake. He kept trying though, and would clutch the pen tighter and tighter to attempt to steady his hand. It didn't work, and caused him a lot of pain. Phil would drop out of art school and gave up on his dream of being an artist. Later, he would see a neurologist and was diagnosed with nerve problems, making it obvious why he could only draw bendy lines. When he told...

I remember being about three years old and announcing that when I grew up, I wanted to be a doctor. Even as a young child, I thought medicine was absolutely fascinating. Though my title changed from doctor to nurse, I loved the idea of caring for people. I wasn't interested in anatomy as much as I was interested in treatments and procedures. In fact, at the age of ten I could preform virtual heart surgery in forty seconds flat, tell you what IV and PICC stand for (intravenous and peripherally inserted central catheter- I never forgot), and I read medical journals all the time. It was adorable. Also, I thought hospitals were cool. I still think they are. I always knew I was sick- we didn't have a name for it, but pain doesn't happen for no reason. I liked the idea that I would make sure no one would walk around knowing their sick but getting no answers. I wanted to be that miracle nurse or doctor who never gave up and let their patients suffer. When I was eleven and going ...

A letter to Tom, a friend who is going through a hard time with his arthritis. Also, to anyone who needs it too. Dear Tom, Never let arthritis quiet you down. Be loud. Be proud. Be the person you've dreamt of being. A diagnosis defines the way your body works- not the person it contains. A mind is a beautiful thing: Never waste it. Even when your body can't seem to work right, build your mind and you'll go farther than you would ever believe. I know feeling broken can break you, but know that there is always a rainbow after a storm. It's hard to believe it at times, but there is so much hope. You never know what may work. There will be days when you are on top of the world. And sometimes nothing will be accomplished, but does it matter all that much so long as you tried? Don't let it stop you. Keep going on. Never let arthritis get in the way of your visions, your ideas and passions. Pain will never be stronger than your creative eye Tom, and the strength of...

It's been said that the best medicine is laughter. And I agree, however I would like to change that statement a bit. "The best medicine is laughter... and art!" Maybe I'm biased because I'm the artistic type, but I one hundred per cent believe art is one of the best medicines. I think people can find a lot of benefit in art, for a variety of different reasons and a variety of ways. Making art, looking at art, listening to music, making music and all sorts of art forms can really help people feel better. And so, this is my list of reasons why art is one of the best medicines: 1. It Relaxes . Many people find it easier to wind down and relax whilst drawing, painting, listening to music, looking at books of paintings or photography or doing craft projects of some kind. When your mind is at peace, it can help your body be at peace as well. 2. It's a Form of Expression . The great thing about art is that there are no wrongs. If you're able to, using art ...

A recent trend around YouTube has been to do something called "Draw My Life," which is when people draw... Well, their life. The drawings are usually little stick figures and such, which is great because it helps you focus a little bit more on the story. Whilst people draw, they tell you their story. What amazes me is that people are very Open with their stories and you find most people have had more challenges than what you'd imagine. I love watching "Draw My Life" videos because I like learning more about other people and finding that we often have the same experiences that we wouldn't know otherwise. Whilst I think it would be cool to do a Draw My Life video too, I have already done this in my blog. So, I drew a quick sketch of my life right now: A coffee, some art, one blog and lots of great people I've met through it. :) Just a quick sketch.

I am a huge fan of art. I love almost all of it, whether it is fine art, abstract expressionism, minimalists and so on. People think it's odd when I say I like abstract art, then again they think it's odd when a young person claims that they have arthritis. But I do love abstract art. I feel like I can relate to it well: people over look it and call it 'another painting.' Since they can't 'see anything' they expect there is nothing there worthwhile, or if they do see something, it's a 'problem.'  From the time I was young, I felt like a walking abstract painting: no doctor who just glanced at me could figure out what was there, and when someone did look long enough to find arthritis, it still took longer to find out what kind (I was at rheumatoid arthritis and fibromylgia for at least a year). To this day, it's still a lot of guessing: guessing which medicine might work and what will happen next. And since people can't see my arth...

I am a procrastinator. If procrastination was an Olympic sport, I would get bronze, silver and gold every year running. I leave a lot of assignments to the week before they're due, and sometimes closer to their due date. You see, I procrastinate for a lot of reasons. The biggest reasons is arthritis, especially when it comes to art projects. And this is my Procrastination Reason List: 1.) I have an 'art studio' in my own house, however since it's on a different level, I have a hard time getting there sometimes. 2.) There are times when I really can't focus because of how uncomfortable I feel. 3.) Arthritis fatigue. Enough said. 4.) I will not preform well with stiff joints: Whatever I may be working on will most likely come out 'all wrong' and cause more frustration in the mean time. And, naturally, there are times I wait until the last moment to do a project just because I don't want to do it. But, mostly it's my arthritis reasons. And ...

I think that everyone- whether they are healthy, ill or somewhere in the middle- needs ways of expressing their pain. It's not that they need to express their illness if they have one or something like a break up, but just that they need to express the way they feel. I really want to talk about the use of art to convey a message. I think everyone should try 'showing' people how they feel, literally. Make art when your in pain. Rip paper to show how torn you feel. Make bold marks because you are so mad. Use your foot because your hand hurts. Draw in blue because the pain brings you down. Trace your hand on it's side. And don't just limit this to paper: Use clay, writing, music, photographs, ANYTHING. Do it to make yourself feel better: The quality doesn't matter, what matters is if you feel better. I would like to propose that chronic pain sufferers, whether we are young or old, take five minutes to illustrate their pain. Just five minutes: Details don't ...

I'm actually writing this as I try and begin an art project (just a painting of a kitten), so please bare with me. I think it's funny how people have to take medicine to care for the side effects of the medicines that care for the symptoms of a disease. I remember taking one NSAID that caused me headaches, severe light headedness, fatigue, muscle ache and later extreme nausea. The light head feeling was so bad that I would tip my head upside down and cover it with a pillow just to feel like I actually had blood in my head. I ended up staying home from school for about a week, with that weekend being filled with- to put it bluntly- vomit. I think the worse part about this all, was the doctor kept telling me to push on. I actually ended up in way more pain from the medicine than I ever have from the disease. My mum, being the smart woman she is, took me off of it after I couldn't move. And me, being as stubborn as ever, eventually fired that doctor after two years of him ig...

I write a good portion of my day, whether it's for school, this blog, communication or leisure. Some of my favourite things to write are skits and sketches, specifically comedies. I actually will use some in the coming months to make a short film for art class. Anyway, some of that inspiration for my comedy skits actually comes from having arthritis. No, it's not funny to have arthritis. But, I do find the humour in some of the worse parts of it, as you might have witnessed on this blog. I don't want to be sad at all, and I'm too stressed from school and such to be serious all the time too. And I've found that a lot of the time, people will learn way more when they can laugh and not be serious (Thank you to Horrible Histories for teaching me this). Also, as a side note, most I do actually preform these skits. Typically they require a wide variety of characters. So I play them all. Rest assured, you can only imagine how many mustaches I've ever drawn on. :) ...

I was actually going to write a post about the difference of 'shy' and 'introverted.' But, since I found a way to relate being an introvert to arthritis, the topic has changed quite a bit. ... But just so you know the difference, to be shy is to fear social rejection. To be an introvert means that you gain energy from being by yourself and an extrovert gains energy from being around people, among other things that vary from person to person and also is not extremely relevant to the topic. Now you know. Anyway, in a lot of ways I think that Arthur is an extrovert. He's an extrovert who only wants to be with me. You see, he needs his energy because of all the fatigue so he hangs out with me a lot, which is bad for me because I am an introvert and need time away. Arthritis also causes me to miss out on some things, like when my friends go roller skating because he is so annoying and won't stop bothering my joints so I don't get to use the energy I've be...

Dear All Medical Conditions, I am not a sufferer of arthritis. Arthritis is a sufferer of me. And this is a warning to all other diseases that you should not come near me. I'm a rather bad patient: I don't have time for you. I will take care of you, but I will not cater to you: We are not doing what you want when, you want because we will be far to busy doing what I want, when I  want. Annoying me does not help as I'm a firm believer in the silent treatment. Also, I hope you like art. Because you will sit up with me all night while I finish my art projects. These nights really annoy Arthur, and he likes to try and pull me away from my work. Unfortunately for him, I don't give in because I like art way more than I like him. And that is no different for you. If that doesn't scare you away, I will find ways to make you leave: Medicine has really come a long way in this modern age. If that doesn't work, I have ways of making you behave. Arthur is currentl...

You know that moment when you do something, and then find out it wasn't necessary? When you realise how much time you wasted? I had one of those moments today. Last night I worked very hard on an essay for class. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the work (I really like the subject that I was writing about), it was still stressful. When I went into class today, I found out the teacher only wanted us to speak of it openly in a discussion during class. No need for essays. Great. I apologise for the rather brief posts lately; I have had so much school work, I've barely had the time to think about what to post, forget write and publish it! But now that I'm just about finished with all of it, I will be posting as usual. Hopefully.

Wish me luck! I've been working hard on that project for the contest I mentioned in my last post, and it's nearly done! At the moment I'm getting the judgement of my teachers to help make minor improvements and getting approval through the school to send in my art work (which includes, but is not limited to, three art teachers, one contest representative of my school, and my actual school). I'm extremely excited!! I can't wait to submit it, and I'm even more excited for judging! I'm sorry to be very vague about this contest, it's simply a security issue and also the fact that I like that we can just have 'a contest' and not 'This Very Official Contest of This University and If You Don't Win, You Are A Disgrace.' So, yeah. No pressure. :)

Recently I've decided to enter an art contest. I don't usually tell people about my plans art wise, but this one I'd rather like to share. While I won't say the name of the contest, I will say it's a rather important one and winning is quite an honor. I haven't submitted my work yet, in fact I've barely begun as I only found out about the contest today. But I did want to tell you all for a specific reason: So I follow through. I'm known not to follow through with all my projects, but I feel that if I tell someone, it'll be inspiration enough to do my best work and enter the contest. Here's to hoping I follow through!

I apologise for being away for so long, I've had a very long and busy week between school, school work , a family gathering and also seeing a film I've wanted to see for quite a while with one of my best friends. At the moment, I have many Enbrel side effects including headaches and fatigue. In fact I fell asleep after school, of which I never do unless I'm extremely ill. Tonight I have worked on my own clothing design for a shirt. This is completely and utterly unnecessary work. The reason I am doing it is because a girl in my class took credit for an idea I came up with and drawings I did last year. She didn't mention it was my idea, she took all the credit and continued to saying that she was the only person who cared. I am not letting her win this. I am bringing all my former drafts to class as well as my NEW ideas, which in my mind are brillant. I'm not letting her get away with this. If we're not allowed to cheat on tests, why should we be allowed to che...

Today is a miserable arthritis day. I've been sore since I've woken up. I'm not feeling well at all as I am actually sick, but Arthur isn't helping what so ever. Even the joints that aren't affected by arthritis are aching and stiff (Shoulders, elbows, wrist, hands). But that's alright since I didn't have much of anything planned for today anyway. I feel like this picture today to tell you the truth. This picture I did a few years ago when I was in a lot of pain and stuck at a relatives house. It's not the best, in fact it was probably done in a few minutes but it made me feel better to put it down on paper. This was done in oil pastels, which did ease the odd pain I had in my hands because it's soft and it warmed as I drew, which soothed my muscles.