Painting is LIFE!

Painting is LIFE!

I have been a registered nurse for nearly eight years, but due to unforeseen health issues related to a rare inherited genetic disorder, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, my pelvis is unstable. To avoid using any foreign medical jargon, one of the load-bearing joints that connect my pelvis to my spine, has become hypermobile meaning my joint moves too much. This has caused my pelvis to become unstable; I experience multiple dislocations of the joint and chronic, debilitating pain. As a nurse, working on my feet for countless hours, was no longer an option for me. I was faced with an impossible decision to stop working, face the loss of income, and come to terms with the fact that my lifelong dreams of being a nurse would be over. So, after months of attempting to treat my joint issue with injections, a nerve burning procedure, and a spinal cord stimulator trial in hopes of reducing my pain, I stopped working in September 2020 and have not been able to work since then. Even sitting, bending over, and walking for long periods has become impossible. I am currently waiting for a joint fusion surgery as a last resort to be able to live a full life without endless, relenting pain. With the loss of income, depression and guilt set in, and dealing with continuous pain, I began painting.

Painting has always been a passion of mine, but I never actually learned how to paint or had a clue how to do it; so, I began watching YouTube videos and teaching myself. Once I started posting pictures of my work on social media, it turned into a frenzy! Everyone I knew began asking how much my work would cost, if I could paint pet portraits, and if I could paint different subjects, such as landscapes. Out of nowhere, my hobby as an artist began to bring in income! Extra income for my family during such a personally devastating time, was so desperately needed due to my inability to work as a nurse until my health issues resolved. Having the occasional extra income was a HUGE plus, but the physical and mental benefits of painting far exceeded the much-appreciated extra money I was bringing in.

Living with chronic pain is no laughing matter. It’s actually a serious population healthcare issue. People facing excruciating chronic pain cannot get the help they need and people not actually suffering from chronic pain abuse the system of access to pain medication. My only options were to take muscle relaxers, over-the-counter Motrin and Tylenol, and use ice or a heating pad. Options available to me at my pain management clinic did not involve pain medication, but rather interventions meant to reduce pain such as joint injections and other pain-relieving remedies that did not relieve my pain permanently. All of these efforts to date, were only a band-aid.

Listening to music and painting was a brand-new outlet for me. My main area of focus has been pet portraits, as these have been the most popular, requested subjects. When I paint, I get lost in my music, and let my mind and hand take control. After I sketched my subject, it was time to put paint to canvas. Focusing on the music and ever minute detail took my pain, my stress, all my worries, away. I discovered what inner peace and the ability to disconnect felt like. Once I began the first layers of acrylic, my pain would slowly fade away. My overwhelming stress would begin to diminish. Painting has been the only form of pain relief to completely force my pain into submission. There is something incredibly intriguing how the mind and nerves work together, but if desire, will to be successful, passion, intense focus, immense joy, and love for painting and bringing joy to others take control over the mind, nerves involved with signaling pain and stress, follow. I experienced less pain, less panic attacks, less headaches, and had a sense of purpose. I had a job to do. Something with meaning behind it. Customers’ orders created an intense drive to succeed and create a beautiful piece of artwork that replicated their furry loved one. This required talent, knowledge, and focus to recreate a painted portrait from a photo, sometimes, an extremely poor photo. Nothing has brought me more joy and peace than painting since I have had to stop working. I have painted pet portraits for family members, friends, and I still continue to paint portraits of my own pets. If I don’t have any customer orders, I have a list of my own pets, my favorite animals, and landscapes of my own that I work on. It is a hobby that has taken on a life of it’s own and an endless passion to create beautiful art.

I have fallen in love with challenging myself to learn new techniques, become better at my craft, and learn how to paint different subjects. Most of all, I love opening a new tube of paint, playing with color combinations, and creating my own works of “heart.” There is nothing more satisfying to me than seeing every color spread over canvas. Using every color imaginable, using my imagination, using different style brushes and techniques to accomplish the ultimate goal of capturing that special moment in time, that special fur baby’s physical features, that beautiful landscape that tantalizes the senses. Seeing the end result and being proud of what I accomplished using some paint, some brushes, and canvas is what motivates my passion.

I discovered untapped potential, as well as a solution to my pain problems. It has been an utterly amazing experience to say the least! In my mind, “Painting is Life!” There is nothing more powerful or beautiful than the power of the mind. My artwork and reduction of relentless pain is proof of that. I’m not a professional, I didn’t learn how to paint in art school or by an experienced artist; I am self-taught. That in of itself is a huge accomplishment. I learned on my own! Now, I have a set of skills I can teach and pass down to my children. I have beautiful artwork throughout my home, in the homes of family members and friends, sent all over the country, and even shipped to Canada! It all started because I wanted to paint a sea turtle and took off from there! I didn’t realize in the beginning that painting would help to control my pain, but it did! It was the best, accidental start of a new hobby that changed my life for the better. Sometimes I get busy with family life and going to school to become a Family Nurse Practitioner that I forget how much painting means to me and helps to relieve my pain, but I remind myself how important self-care is and have to set aside time to do what I love, PAINTING! It is a huge relief to have gained such a unique skill that helps with my medical issues, chronic pain, and brings so much passion, peace, focus, the ability to unwind and completely disconnect, and happiness to my life. It may have happened by accident but now it has become a lifelong love.