Sick and Drawing

If ever you have a choice, I would advise you not combine the two.
For one would deplete your patience and the other your energy. There are times in our lives, however, that we must rise above ourselves if we are to get anything accomplished. I’d rather be drained of energy and patience than sitting completely idle for an extended amount of time.
I drew the first chapter of Seven while feeling low physically. It was a challenge to say the least; I had to combat not only waning energy but also morning sickness, both due to pregnancy. And life doesn’t stop does it? At least one and a half year olds (namely Zoe) don’t. The only real suggestion I have for continuing to write or draw while you are felling ill is to not fully concentrate on that you are sick. Your patience doesn’t have to run out, not really. Not if you put off being impatient just a little while longer to get that one figure right. Or figure out the layout for that scene.

When I got sick my first inclination was to lounge and rest until I felt better. In bygone years this worked wonderfully. I would recuperate pretty quickly. But pregnant women don’t always recuperate with rest. Sometimes what you really need to get back to feeling yourself is birth.

So what do you do for all those months that you can barely see straight because too much movement, and not moving, eating and not eating, drinking and not drinking…when everything and its opposite seem to make you feel sick?
At best all I could do was ignore my body. For the first few, and worse, months I did lay about as much as I could (Which is difficult when you have a toddler, but then her ripping leaves off of the houseplant really doesn’t seem that important when you’re ill. What is important is disallowing her for hurting herself…or you…)and I watched a great deal of TV. TV has its uses. Mostly it’s a device to promote the mindset of the era and to get you to buy stuff from the show sponsors. As an escape device from reality it is great but should be used to escape problems as little as possible since it is stronger than crack. In those early months I found a guilty comfort in just laying prone in front of the TV while doing my best not to heave. The imaginary lives of the characters portrayed helped me to get over myself a little bit at a time.
But thanks be to God my morning sickness eased and I felt the need to curl in the fetal position and groan less—but I still felt ill more often than not.

Keep the mind active. For this writing and drawing can be a blessing. If I could just pause the perfectionistic tendencies I have, the two can be more comforting than TV and help me bear the on land sea sickness. Well, I’ve babbled and I’ve rambled but let me see if I can sum up some points to drawing while you are ill.

1) It is possible because you normally have a little quiet time on our hand when you’re sick. And drawing really requires quiet time.

2) The quiet concentration can help bring you out of yourself physically and be quite comforting. Any artist knows what I’m talking about when I mention the zone. The zone transcends the physical environment, including your body. To get out of feeling really ill get into the zone. (For beginners or art lovers who do not practice the craft, the zone is the point in creating when concentration is at its highest. I think it is when the right side of the braid has taken over completely and disallows ‘logical' though. You may find it difficult to have long, decent conversations if you are in the zone.)

3) Make sure your responsibilities are taken care of. The added worry that something is going to go wrong is only going to increase your sickness and distract you from drawing. It is great to have support or help from someone else when you are sick but it is not always possible. If you can’t take care of all of your responsibilities suspend them or limit them greatly. I have a toddler and when I was at my sickest—and there was no one there to take her—I would shut us up in a small room with a TV and toys and a few objects she could not destroy or use to hurt herself. Nap times were imperative, whether or not she was sleepy. If I was really tired out of my mind it makes it rather dangerous to be watching a child, and drawing was out of the question. She is much safer in her crib, irritated or playing (more often than not she went to sleep too), while I took a power nap. Because we have consistently spent quiet times together I can sit and draw or write while she plays by herself (note: this is not for an extended time and I don’t do any heavy duty drawing around her. I can however, plan scenes, design characters, and draw some sketchy layouts for pages.)

4) Don’t pressure yourself with perfection. Drawing is hardly going to take you out of yourself and be soothing if everything you create must be perfect. Under perfectionism drawing becomes a nightmare. Instead of offering aid when you need it, it creates another reason to be miserable. “I feel sick and my drawing sucks.” Enjoy the whimsy of drawing. Enjoy the flexing of your imagination on paper. It may not look exactly as you always dreamed but that does not mean you cannot create an enjoyable piece.

5) If you need an added pick me up—show someone your work. People are often more complimentary than critical. If you know a lot of critical people—avoid them. Never mind how critical they are about your artwork they are probably toxic to your health as well. If you find you are one of those critical people, well, cut that crap out: it’s annoying!

6) Take your time. It’s okay to go slow. In our fast–paced accomplished driven world that is a hard statement to swallow. I have had to tell myself multiple times that when I’m overly tired or not feeling well things are going to take longer to do. Impatience and the desire to not wait has been bred into my bones and patience goes against every fiber of my being. But I have found—slowly because I rarely learn a lesson quickly—that taking my time to do things slower when I’m not feeling well, and attempting to take that invisible time harness off, I flourish. When I flourish so does whatever I’m trying to do—including my artwork.

That’s all I can really think of and it is plenty to consider. As I write this I am in no mood for anything, but if I keep my mind on higher things I can find some measure of relief. I wish you well in all you do.