My Story with Chronic Pain

I am a science, math, and French teacher turned artist.  
I've left my career in the classroom as I now live with chronic pain.
My story is like so many chronic pain suffererers: a long 

haul of misdiagnoses, problematic symptoms, medication side affects ...
plus complications from a tropical disease and only remnants of an immune system. 

As a result, I now also have Fibromyalgia and IBS. 
I was able to work part time as a sciences and math teacher until 2011. 
Now my full time job is taking care of myself.

Scientist turned artist ...

In August 2010, I committed to doing 31 artsy-fartsy things for the month following two wonderful art books (Peter Gray's book Complete Guide to Drawing and Illustration and Learn to Paint and Draw by Parragon Publishing). And it was a great experience! That started me on a path to make painting a part of my regular routine.  I find that when I include art as a part of my daily life, my 

pain levels are much more manageable, and my bad days are not as bad. And I have a lot more hope. 

Now, seven years later, I can happily say that art IS a real part of my life.  

I have sold works across Canada, the United States, and in Australia.  

And my goal for 2017 is to make sure that I do some form of art  

every single day.

So, why art?

           After having to give up so much and lower my standards

on what I can do, I want to have goals that I know I can reach, 

with effort, and feel good about them.

 To develop another way of distracting myself from my chronic pain.

To live, even on bad pain days, instead of merely exist. 
To move into the full, fulfilling life I know God has planned for me, despite my limitations.

Painting is good therapy... for everything.

This is a step towards who I want to be.

Two of the wonderful seniors at the Home where I volunteered teaching painting classes, 2014.

Two of the most fun artists that I have the pleasure to paint with regularly (ages eight and ten.) What great emus!