How We Feel Pain Art Submission
This is a recent art project I completed for an annual art submission through The Canadian Pain Society. The theme for this year’s art submissions is ‘How We Feel Pain’. This theme invoked in me many thoughts and feelings and I knew I had to participate.
Along with the piece of art, participants are asked to submit a description of their art to explain how it connects with the theme and to help a general audience to better understand the impacts of living in pain. I’ve included below my art piece and my description as submitted.
I have so much more to say on the topic, and I think when I first wrote out my description, I was well over the 100 word maximum. Of course, I’m kicking myself now for not saving my original and simply doing a hard edit to whittle down my word count. I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish through the unrelenting experience of pain, and more importantly, a toddler tugging at my leg.
Walking into the unknown
I feel as though I am in a state of limbo. Of stuckness. The pain is all consuming. It is layered. It creeps. I feel distorted. Numb. Staying here, being consumed by the pain, is not an option. But the path forward is terrifying. It is an abyss of confusion, helplessness, anger, and fear. So much fear. I am afraid to move forward. I take one last look at where I have come from. All the effort and disappointment that has led me here. I don’t want to do this alone. It’s time to get unstuck.
Hopefully the pain you have been going through for years will be a memory you can share with others to help them through their journey.
I pray that something can be done for the pain you’ve lived with. Keep fighting the fight
I love the way you can take what you’re feeling, turn it into words (words are hard and most of the time don’t adequately describe the feeling we are trying to explain), but you do it so well that I can feel your pain, too! As a decade-long experiencer of pain via Endometriosis, I can relate. Your art and word piece is beautiful, and I hope it triggers others to think about their experiences and share them.
Thanks for sharing your own experience Zoie. Words are so powerful, but are also incredibly hard to get right when describing something so personal and subjective. I love the power of art and words together. I’m a sucker for a good graphic novel or comic. It’s also one of my ambitions, to create some kind of narrated imagery. Likely a graphic novel, or children’s illustrated books. We have to keep telling our stories. As hard as it is. It’s also very healing. All the best in your pain journey. <3
Your art is really striking, Samantha. I didn’t see the details of your figure in the piece yesterday, but the red sleeve on your left arm is compelling…a raw and hot indicator.
Oh yes, I love that, raw and hot. Exactly. I needed to draw my shoulder and arm in a distorted way. It’s never felt “right”, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant until recently. Most of the time it feels like I’ve drawn: bulky, enlarged, hot, and the arm limp at my side. Though I’ve also felt my shoulder as being shriveled and almost non-existent, a gaping wound of sorts.