How I Changed My Story and Became An Artist: The Healing Power of Art
This is ME! Working on a Children’s Book Illustration.
We all have two stories for ourselves. The one we plan, and the one that ACTUALLY happens.
My name is Kerry Viggiani and I'd like to share both of my stories with you.
Considering you're likely here because you've seen my artistic work, it might surprise you that until 3 years ago, I spent most of my professional life in the business world. If my brain and body had cooperated, right now I'd be working on my MBA part-time, while working full-time on employee enablement or learning strategies at some big tech company.
By now, you've likely caught onto to the fact that THAT did not happen.
And that's because the story I planned was cut short by a traumatic brain injury.
Three years ago I had my first seizure, seemingly out of the blue, and fell headfirst onto concrete. Within a few days, my family and I realized that something was VERY different about me. My speech was slurred, I'd forget to do simple things like eat, light and sound would throw me off balance and cause major confusion, and I'd be hit with intense aural migraines anywhere from 5 to 3 days a week.
My team of healthcare professionals would attest I fought HARD to get back to my old career. I was the LAST person to admit I would never make a full recovery. And boy did I ever struggle through depression till I accepted my situation.
Do I still deal with nagging symptoms? Yes! I still struggle with short term memory loss, severe cognitive fatigue, and I often joke that I'm a human barometer. Am I fully recovered? YES! Because without any shadow of a doubt, I believe that despite having to constantly manage my symptoms, have built a rich and satisfying life regardless of my disability. And this is all due to a gift basket full of art supplies; a gift from my former colleagues to keep me active and engaged during my recovery.
One day while painting, I began to reflect on my son and husband's love for me - how faithfully they have stood by me and shown me unconditional love.
As I felt gratitude for them, I came to see that regardless of how despairing and terrified I was, as their mother and wife, I owed them a responsibility.
And so I put the story I planned aside and began working on creating a new one. For my family, I had to take on my disability and make a new life for myself. And so, after two years of using art as a therapeutic tool, it became my new calling.
In this new story, I am a thriving artist and illustrator. And through this blog that accompanies my shop, I hope to inspire others to embrace creativity and art as a self-discovery tool to re-frame their own stories.
It shouldn't take YOU a brain injury to embrace a creative hobby.
And you don't have to be a career artist to pick up a pen and doodle. BUT regardless of your current or future skill level, you CAN reap the benefits of expression and exploration through a creative hobby.
So, I'd like to dedicate this first post to my family, to all the new friends I've made over my recovery, and to old friends I've reconnected with over the last three years. I couldn't have gotten this far without your encouragement, your belief, and your love for THIS version of me,
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here.