Relearning to Paint

After a Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury didn't stop me from relearning to read and paint. 

Injured Brain

A car accident — caused my traumatic brain injury / concussion.  I went back to work initially because Urgent Care told me “come back in a month if you still have problems”.  In fact, they told me it was just “shock” and I didn’t get my first MRI until several months later.

Creativity Still Exists

I was literally unable to read but just laughed it off and believed I would find a way around what seemed temporary.  I didn’t realize that I was a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivor.

I’m still recovering but I know miracles are real!

I was unable to read, focus, problem solve, remember, drive, cook, work, play, watch TV / movies, listen to music / audio, text, nor communicate to others the amount of pain I was in — words became stuck in my head.  I’m forever grateful for so many people and complete strangers who surrounded me with literally hundreds of hugs, rides, meals, phone calls, prayers, and help doing what I couldn’t do for myself.

The only thing I could do successfully was pray, take baths, meditate through the pain, take short walks (to my mailbox), imagine recovery, laugh, cry, and wait.

I didn’t try to paint again for months because I was heartbroken I couldn’t anymore.  Besides, I had always hated abstract art.

Painting — my ultimate refuge in tough times — had slipped out of my reach.  I was devastated that I could not paint what I could see so clearly in my head.  There wasn’t a single drop of paint on my paper, even after holding my paintbrush for hours.

I ripped my paper into 4 small pieces because I didn’t want to waste valuable watercolor paper on garbage.  

Something magical happened as I allowed myself to be creative in ways I had never dreamed of.  At first, I could only drop paint onto the paper.  It took me multiple days to paint what used to take me 15 minutes to accomplish.  I painted in the dark and couldn’t see the colors I was mixing because of severe light sensitivity.

What I had considered "trash" became treasured proof of my progress.

Someone finally convinced me to paint — trash I definitely planned on throwing away.

Healing Brain

I needed patience, persistence, and flexibility to allow my creativity to exist. Fortunately, I didn’t throw these paintings away.  What I had considered “trash” became treasured proof of my progress.

300+ Miracles

Flowers were delivered by a stranger. 

I was given literally hundreds of rides, meals, and help from countless people.

I bought a home before relearning how to read. I started reading on a 1st grade level.

God answers my every prayer. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ helping me when my challenges seemed impossible.

"I Got This!"

"Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities. 

You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith.” -Thomas S. Monson

Thanks to my paintbrush, I imagined healing, didn’t give up, and climbed the seemingly insurmountable mountains!

I’ll share more soon, please subscribe HERE to the Artsy Paint Collector’s email list for exciting updates.

Send Hope

My watercolors tell a story of hope, heart, and healing.