I had a great opportunity to attend an amazing event this evening! (Thank you, Jazz and Kennedy).
It was focused on girl power, but the thoughts that were shared tonight really apply to all of us.
It was about self-empowerment, self-confidence and self-awareness. It was about going with your gut and trusting yourself. Getting outside of your comfort zone!
Well, I have already said that I’m a painter of words, but I am not an artist. I have amazing beautiful pictures inside my head, but I can’t draw them. I can write about them, but I can’t draw them even though I come from a family of artists.
I love listening to the soulful sound of music. Music that inspires. Music that is therapeutic. Music that has a message. That is my sound of genuine. Writing is also my sound of genuine – it allows me to focus on being me – a person who ultimately believes in optimism. Sometimes that may be an illusion. It may imply that I do not worry. I do not have fear. I do not have days of defeat! Guess what? I do.
So, in the spirit of getting outside of my comfort zone, I thought I would try to draw something since I asked others to send me their artwork. It was actually quite therapeutic. Drawing provided an easy way to get outside of my head just like yoga breathing does.
Having hip surgery can provide illusions. In John’s story, he talked about how his PT explained that even though he had just a few very small incisions on his hip, those did not provide an accurate picture of how much work was done on the inside! Total illusion.
Many patients have illusions of extreme pain after surgery. They have illusions that their recovery will be their new normal for years. Others can see hip surgery as an illusion – it will make their life perfect or pain free, but there is risk as with anything.
A fellow hippie and true artist, Heather, conveyed her sound of genuine through her artwork. She sees her hip hope as something that is just beyond her grasp – “looking through a keyhole” with her hope wrapped up in chains, but ultimately hoping to have the key to unlock a future with pain free hips!
My attempt at art tried to convey the stages of my grief – the beginning of the journey when I was still looking through that keyhole and moving on towards near normalcy. Art needs to speak to you. It can provide the sound of genuine that will allow you to empower yourself, become confident and self-aware!
Lucy Chen, an artist, says, “People need courage to go in front of the mirror, look themselves in the eye in the mirror, and actually say I love you.” For her and many others, painting is their sound of genuine. Try it – just once – doodle or sketch, finger paint or mold some clay – whatever speaks to you. Whatever will allow you to find a healing attitude is what you need – find your sound of genuine whether it is journaling, art, photography, music or just being! Do you!
“Keep painting no matter what. Life might be difficult, things might come up and you feel like you can’t do it any more—you feel like other things are more important, more urgent—but you just have to bring yourself to keep creating, keep painting no matter what… And if you stop for days, weeks, don’t feel guilty about it. Whenever you remember, whenever you feel the urge to do, it just do it. Sometimes we just need to push through the resistances.”
- Lucy Chen
Coming soon: Artwork by other Hippie Patients!
Comments