Exploring creativity during illness

Abstract

A week before my 50^th birthday I was diagnosed with a rare form of mitochondrial disease, so rare in fact that it does not have its own name. While this necessitated negative changes in my life, it also created a window for me to explore my creativity: Something that I had never had time to devote to previously. This started with an introduction to basic acrylic painting. It has now developed into oil and watercolour painting, charcoal drawing, sketching, crochet, and origami. As a social worker I know the importance of sensory therapies such as music, dance, play and art. Sensory therapies are patient-centered treatments that promote self-management and self-care, ameliorating some of the side effects associated with pharmacological treatments. As I was taking over 30 tablets a day, I was interested in exploring alternative options that did not exactly fit into the scope of my medical therapy. In this paper, I have used autoethnography to achieve a meaningful understanding of personal experience from a cultural perspective. Using a psychological constructionist world view allowed for personal iterative inner construction. Exploring creativity happened for me by accident. After I started painting classes, I realised there was a change occurring in my mood. I found that I could live a more positive life with improved well-being, I enjoyed learning more about my creative abilities, including selling items in order to create an income stream. These multiple positive outcomes were unexpected and extremely beneficial, demonstrating the importance of creativity throughout the life course during times of illness.