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12:16 AM, Thursday March 23rd 2023

Unfortunately what you're asking isn't really the sort of thing we can provide advice on - for the simple reason that it's very much a medical question that relates specifically to your condition. The injury you experienced sounds awful, and I am very sorry you have to deal with this - but it would be very irresponsible for anyone here to try and advise you on how to approach this. It really has to be asked to a medical professional who understands the nature of your situation, and who can tell you what kinds of activities are okay to do, and which ones might cause you greater trouble in the future. Until you're able to get that advice, I'd suggest not drawing from your shoulder, given the discomfort you're experiencing.

If your physician feels using your shoulder in this way will exacerbate the issue and should be avoided, there's really no choice but to use your elbow instead. While this isn't ideal, it is still workable and will not preclude you from learning to draw. There will simply be some longer strokes that will be more difficult to execute. It's not something I'd recommend for someone who is able to use their shoulder without risk of aggravating an existing injury, but it's also not a deal-breaker when it comes to drawing. The majority of the strokes we execute in the course of a drawing can still be performed from your elbow - in this course we push for using the shoulder to ensure students aren't blocking themselves off from full use of their arms. Medical concerns are definitely another story, however, and are an entirely valid reason to modify how you follow along with the lessons.

Ultimately, every student needs to take the material, and the feedback they receive based on their results, and understand that it's given based on an ideal situation. It is in some cases, such as this one, necessary to look at that feedback through the lens of your own situation. But absolutely do not force yourself to apply the material without considering what is very clearly a serious situation resulting of considerable injury.

2:23 AM, Wednesday March 29th 2023

Thank you so much for your response. What you've written has been very helpful. I hadn't even thought of drawing with my elbow instead before. While I've recently planned to see a physician for this, I have also tried drawing with my elbow now and did 13 more boxes over the course of 6 days with no pain. The cracking went away when I draw, too. That's been really great and I'm so much happier. I am at box 202 and will continue drawing.

And everything you said is completely understandable. I realize this isn't a great place for this, but its just hard for me imagine a physician knowing enough about drawing to suggest I use my elbow instead, like you did. Almost everyone thinks its done with your hand/wrist (people who do not draw, I mean). What you said has worked. I appreciate it.

Thank you again.

Note: You were right about smaller strokes. I've noticed I can't help but draw my boxes a fair bit smaller than before.

6:05 PM, Wednesday March 29th 2023

While your physician won't know anything about drawing necessarily, they will be able to tell you what hard limits to avoid in terms of how to use your body. You would then take that information and use it as a lens through which to follow the instructions in this course, and which you receive in your feedback.

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