Expressing Pain

This week has been a bit hard for me as I've been suffering from mind numbing headaches and the usual muscle pain. I'm trying to get ready all the stock needed for the summer festival stalls we will be running, but I'm finding it hard to keep focused on what I need to be doing, hence the fact that Jon has been writing the blog for the past few days and has been running around looking after me. I'm sorry if I haven't been keeping up with anything I have promised any of you out there that I will do. I will eventually get around to it, especially your kite bag Mech. Sorry for any delays.

As I'm here, how about I share with you some of my favourite works that really express the pain I have been feeling lately. I think it is important to allow pain out in some way and one of the least destructive way for people around you is to express it in an artistic creative way. The next items are to me a constructive use of pain.

PaperOrnimentals created this linoleum cut print that to me shows the fuzzy confusion that head pain causes. When you can't focus your brain it's very hard to deal with the pain and use pain management strategies that you would usually. I think this print shows that perfectly.

This print of a pen and ink drawing by Schuchy represents to me the isolation you feel when you are encased in a scratchy bubble of pain. The darkness creeps in and swallows up the brightness making you want to squeeze yourself down into the tightest ball to block the darkness out.

Asunder's print gripped me as soon as I saw it. Years ago I was tutored in pain management and one of the ways we were taught to deal with expressing pain when you needed to be silent was to visualise ourselves expressing the pain and releasing that pain through that mental image. This image is so like the mental image I use it was scary.

Gilfling's drawing shows how I feel today. Almost in control of the pain but not quite firing on all cylinders, trying to keep it all going. The shaky pencil lines denote perfectly how I feel around the edges. A bit wobbly but still intact.

The Shadow Cat has made this doll that just cries out to be hugged and soothed. I really feel his pain and just want to administer pain killers and snuggle him up until he feels better.

I guess that's how Jon feels when he looks at me each day. I swear it's easier to be the person that is sick than be the person looking after someone that is ill. Thank you Jon for sticking it out and being here for me. I love you!