I've loved painting my whole life. As I've grown older, my hand and arm complications have grown as a result of my connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Every painting in this post was done using only my non-dominant hand in recovery from my first hand surgery.
When I was a kid, I had a hard time learning to hold pencils properly because of my hyperextending fingers. By high school, I had tendinitis in both arms and instability in many hand and wrist joints. It took until I was 20 years old before my EDS diagnosis, and then my first hand surgeries. I began experiencing an intermittent tremor in my hands, too. Continuing to embrace art as a means of coping with pain and challenges was an obvious decision, but so was finding accommodations.
I have learned to use foam tubing grips on my pencils and paint brushes; began wearing splints, braces, and compression gloves as needed; and take more frequent and longer breaks in making art. I switched to using a fountain pen instead of ballpoint pens or pencils when possible because it takes less pressure to write with. I have embraced finger painting when it is too hard to grip pens or brushes. These changes have opened so many more options as an artist!
I definitely have experienced days where creating seems impossible because of pain, fatigue, or other symptoms. I have less and less of these days since starting to to accept my disabilities, find treatment plans, and create accommodations with my medical team and other patients. I also adjust my goals on challenging days. Sometimes being an artist is painting all day and night, and sometimes art is making a bed just right. Both are equally important.
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