I love the arts. I am particularly fond of music (Baroque being my favorite period) but I enjoy the grace and beauty of ballet, literature from all over the world, and of course I admire the curves of a statue or the brush strokes of a master painter. However, I am aware of a few things:
- There are other forms of artistic expression and art evolves
- I only have a small bit of artistic ability outside of music and sculpting
- It is OK to be bad at art and still enjoy trying
So, I decided to participate in Inktober, which is where you draw something everyday for the whole month of October. If you click on the link above you can visit that site and check out the rules and past prompts.
Anywho, my hands seem to be weak and so the prospect of drawing something everyday is very daunting. However, I am waiting to hear test results that could alter my life course so I am challenging myself not only in dance (my feet are also weak) but I want to push my hands to their limits. I have tried to keep each design easy, things I think I can draw fairly easily, and in most cases I do not color in the picture. I usually will use dots as color markers because it hurts to hold and press continually to color. The dots use my wrist, so my fingers aren’t taking as much stress but they are still used to do the initial sketch and the ink lining.
Having a chronic illness or chronic pain or any disability can be discouraging when life changes drastically. For me, it has been shifting and changing for three years, so even though my family and home are stable, my body and health are not. It gets very easy to quit or give up on things because I physically just can’t do it like I used to or my neuro team says, “NO!!!”. I decided to not let any of this stop me from finding ways to express myself and get my energy out in a peaceful way.
I joined dance because my body feels foreign and we need to be back in sync. I decided to do Inktober because I wanted to release creative energy. What really lured me in was the challenge to do something that I enjoy but am not really good at. I can make a drawing and people can know what it is, but it usually would not be considered “art” by anyone with reasonable taste.
We are four days in and I have given every day 100% effort to make something that I didn’t think I could make. Today, I think my most difficult challenge was perspective. I really didn’t put that much thought into distance and size so I feel like everything looks ‘off’ but I am still happy with my work. I am happy with myself for trying and being able to figure out what I think could have been better. I hopefully will adjust for the future.
My fellow humans, perspective is often what we have to work on so that we understand what is going on and how to best deal with it. It is easy for me to lay around everyday with this stupid headache and watch cartoons. Changing perspective has allowed me to see that I have the opportunity to recreate myself as soon as all of my medical issues are under control. I just have to keep trying new things. For now they help me not think about test results, in the future they might be what I need to make an impact on the world.
I encourage you to try new things or do things you aren’t good at for a little while. It is amazing what your brain can do when you give it freedom to express itself in new ways. My hope is that everyone can find activities that suit their needs, physical, emotional, and mental.
If you are a part of someone’s support group make sure you are a cheerleader. Be supportive even when you are fairly sure the person has lost it. Do the same activity, or at least give feedback on the person’s progression. My daughter is an artist, and she critiques my drawings with the knowledge that this isn’t my strong suit. Shoot, I am not a writer, my sister is an author, and I write this blog like I know what’s up! I realize I probably change persons and tenses and that I easily switch from proper grammar to words I make up a little too often, but she gives me the benefit of knowing that I sing. I write as a fun thing, but nothing serious.
Your support means so much to the person you love because they have probably seen the misery of someone who does not have a support system. It is heartbreaking to think of what life would be like in the worst of times without you being there. We love ya’ll.
That’s it. I have to go get some rest because tomorrow I have to draw something else and I have to get that beauty rest to make beautiful things!
The Life of a Music Monkey 