These are all the Inktober sketches I did last month. They were really fun to do - I love drawing cats! Using India ink was great - I love all the happy accidents, and it forced me to work really fast because it dries so quickly and is so dark. Thanks for all the support and encouragement on social media, everyone! :)
My Health Challenges
As you might have noticed, I've been completely absent this year. This has been due to an arm injury I sustained at the end of last summer. It was a gradual one that turned into a chronic pain issue.
Sometime last year, I noticed my right forearm started hurting when I would pick up my water bottle by gripping the top. Months before, I had noticed that my right grip felt weaker when I did deadlifts. Looking back on this now, it amazes me how persistent my denial was and how easily I ignored the warning signs my body was giving me. Long story short, after letting this go on for too long, and working until exhaustion at the computer, it got to the point where it hurt to use my stylus on my drawing tablet. I could barely lift up a coffee cup or open a door. An MRI of my arm showed that I had a 50% tear of at my Lateral epicondyle -- or in simple terms, a very bad case of Tennis Elbow.
I had a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injection in January to help heal the area, but the healing process has been slow for me.
And because I'm right handed, I couldn't do much of anything. I couldn't write, draw, paint, type without pain. I could barely tap out email on my phone. And to compensate, other parts of my body stepped in to help and ended up getting injured themselves. At one point, I had an injured left shoulder, pain in my upper back, and pain in my right hamstring, along with the arm pain. My work life pretty much came to a stand still. The closest I got to doing anything creative during this period was painting vicariously through other people while watching YouTube and Skillshare videos.
But with the loving support of my family, my friends, and various health practitioners, I've been slowly making my way back. I began teaching myself to draw and paint with my left hand.
It was going really well, until my left shoulder began bothering me again. So I backed off doing those for awhile!
I've also been making changes in my life:
- I now listen to my body and am so much more in tune with it. I make it a priority to take care of it - to be in my body, rather than in my mind.
- I began using all kinds of relaxation/breathing/meditation/movement exercises in an effort to reduce stress in my life.
- I aim for eight hours of sleep every night (I have been going on 6, sometimes 4.5 hours of sleep before this injury = no bueno!).
- I turn down work. This has been difficult for me -- especially as a freelancer. But I now see clearly that in the long run, taking too much on is not worth it.
- I don't beat myself up for not being able to do everything - our house is messy, we have no garden this summer, I don't post regularly, I'm not on social media as much, but it's OK!
I actually now see my injury as a blessing in disguise. I was on a very unhealthy path. My stress was over the top. It really was the only way to make myself stop living the way I was living - to question it, examine it, make adjustments. It forced me to slow down. To just exist. And to enjoy what I have now. I feel so profoundly blessed to have the people in my life; to have the life I have... :)
Happy 2016!
Happy New Year to you all! It is the year of the Monkey - also my son's birth year, which means he will be twelve soon. How time does fly...
Do you have many New Year's Resolutions? I am still mulling over mine, but they definitely include creating artwork daily. I was feeling "stuck" trying to come up with a plan for my daily sketches. I feel conflicted that my illustration work is different from my daily street observations and what does that it means for my "brand" -- is it too different and not cohesive enough? Also, I was confused about what I should focus on: People? Animals? Lettering? There are so many things that I would like to do, but not enough time to do all of them!
As of now, I will continue with my dailies and just do whatever I *feel* like doing, making sure I am having fun and enjoying it. I also plan to do a weekly challenge of lettering a favorite quote and also do more illustrated recipes to submit to They Draw and Cook.
I did this one last month for the holidays and it was featured on their site. :)
Hope 2016 is a great year for everyone!