systemstarsquad

Since my original post in August, I did talk to my doctor, who referred me to a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. I'm very grateful I had access to their support, because I'm able to draw again. I dropped out of drawabox for a while because my hand and wrist issues got worse and worse, until I couldn't draw for even 15 minutes without giving up any use of my hand for the rest of the day, like lifting a spoon.

I didn't get much drawing done in that time, but that was for the best because I could rest and build strength to get where I am now. Originally my question was influenced by understanding drawing from the shoulder is recommended for a reason, and knowing my disability affects every joint in my body, I figured it would help to draw from my shoulder since the muscles are bigger and stronger. That wasn't possible then, but now I can draw from my shoulder some of the time, which saves my wrists and hands from damage.

I only did a couple assignments after what I'd mentioned in the first post, so I'm going to restart drawabox now that I'm finally able to draw more reliably. It took a lot of accommodation and physical therapy, which I discussed a little more in another reply, and I'm ready to try again.

Since I've had to build up functional use of my hand again, I'm glad I'm starting over because tbh I'm basically a beginner again, at least in my mechanical skills. That perspective, plus the extra patience and evaluating what strategies I can and can't do make a big difference.

Thanks!

I didn't get back to you when I made the original post, but I did read this message and thought about it a lot.

As for the drawabox option, I took that spirit of the rules rather than letter of the rules concept to heart, and took the analytical aspects of drawabox into other methods I tried. That helped a lot, but it improved my observation skills more than the hand skills of drawing. Unfortunately, that caused a lot of disappointment in my work as my mechanical skills lagged so far behind my analytical skills.

I combined the drawabox and non-drawabox options, eventually, and also looked into a lot of artists and other creative people whose technical limitations had a major influence on their work. Matisse is a great example. After reading more into him I learned several impressionists' distinct styles developed out of their physical or mental limitations, even Monet's distinct view of color came from visual issues he had. It was fascinating to revisit so much art and thinking of it as a physical expression of how each artist viewed the world. I found a lot of encouragement and inspiration in that.

Finally back over 6 months later, but I wanted to follow up on how your comment helped me in the time I was away.

Thanks for your response! I appreciate you saying I'm putting so much effort into trying drawabox. I dropped out for a while as my hand and wrist pain got worse and worse, until I realized I couldn't draw like I had been without permanently damaging my joints. My disability, EDS, isn't progressive, but it does cause tissue degeneration a LOT faster than is typical. Knowing that, I calculated the risk of drawing when functional use of my hands isn't going to last forever, and decided it wasn't healthy for me to try drawabox until I built up strength and worked with my doctors to make it safer for me.

In the 6 months since my original post, I've made a lot of progress in bulding strength and regaining function in my hands and wrists. Just as important was changing my perspective on bending the rules. If bending the rules is about accommodation, then it's a way to level the playing field, and my own body is the best guide for what rules I should or shouldn't bend.

Drawing from my shoulder is helpful now that it's possible, but it's still difficult and strenuous so I'm learning to adjust what muscles I use and when, and listening when I need a break.

My occupational therapist said a very helpful thing in line with bending the rules. She told me I need to respect pain, which hit me wrong at first. In my mind "respecting pain = stopping," so I said, "I'm always in pain, if I had to stop every time I hurt I'd never do anything." Obviously just never doing anything isn't good for me either, and she suggested I take pain as a prompt to try whatever I'm doing differently.

That's really at the core of bending the rules, imo. It's also the same kind of self-reflection on what works and what doesn't work that drawabox is all about, you know?

That's a great suggestion! I haven't tried that yet. I've had a lot of success working with a PT and an OT who specializes in hand issues, and anything I can try to support myself is definitely appreciated.

I'm only seeing this 6 months later, but if you see this again I'd love to discuss more with you. My PT and OT are both very experienced with the physical issues I have, but I'm interested in your perspective as a physical therapist and an artist.

As for what's worked so far, I've been working on postural strength with my physical therapist, and we do a lot of isometric exercises to strengthen core muscles. When I first posted this in August, I couldn't do diaphragmatic breathing upright. I spent a lot of time in bed where I'd practice deep breathing. The most helpful source at that point was actually YouTube videos on breath support for singers, and I did those lying down. Living bed-bound is pretty boring, and it was a challenge, so I practiced a lot!

Today, I do a 10 minute seated tai chi routine 3x a day. It includes seated horse stance, seated crane arms, seated crane breathing, seated bear roots, seated flying crane, and seated bathing in the light. The biggest challenge with those is coordinating my arms, legs, AND breath, when necessary.

As I'm typing this message, though, I am sitting upright without support. It's still strenuous, but I'm also learning to take breaks when I need to.

My OT suggested a night brace for carpal tunnel (mild carpal tunnel is one of my issues), which helps once I removed the metal bar. It helps unless I wear it too long, or if I'm wearing it when I have nightmares, which causes me to tense my fists.

The biggest differences, other than building strength itself, are 1. A tilted surface, and 2. Wrapping tools in a foam grip and coban. The bigger surface to grip AND the friction together made it much easier to use tools.

I went from being unable to draw more than 15 minutes without excruciating pain to drawing for a few hours last night, and still being able to type and wash laundry today :)

I gave a lot of information, so if you see this and read through it, thank you very much!