Wow it has been a year since I have been here and boy what a year. Lots of medical stuff and health issues up and down. The best thing that happened was finding my online support group for Behcets. Finally someone that understands what this thing is like to live with. I have gotten some of my best advice from others who suffer from this disease. God Bless my new BD family for their strength and courage to battle all the ugliness this diesease has to offer. Will have to try to get back to blogging again.

This is a mono print I made early in the progression of my auto immune disease. At that point we didn't really know what was going on with me but it was very evident that it was something auto immune. This print symbolizes the feelings I was experiencing at that time. I chose the giraffe because its head is so far away from its body. I was feeling very much like that having a mind that wanted to do so many things with a body that physically could not keep up. I used the continent of Africa to represent the things I was feeling like I wanted to run away from. I had such strange things happening to my body and at times I wanted to get away from it. I had many goals I was striving for and these ailments just kept getting in my way making it very difficult to feel satisfied evcn when I was successful. The colors in the background are broken and faded. I also used a layering of blocked shapes to represent those obstacles that seemed to come from nowhere. This print for me represents the first time I was willing to let myself recognize that I had something that was not going away and I was going to need to not run away from it but fight it.

Today I feel totally drained of energy. I am approaching a day I have dreaded for a very long time. I am going on a medical leave from my work where I teach artisits with disabilities. It is with these individuals that I have found the strength to keep going. No matter how awful I have been feeling with all the ailments that come with Behcets I have been totally lifted up by these inspiring and creative people. They have taught me much and I am greatful for each and everyday we have worked together. So today I am sad and feel completely exhausted.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. This is a whole new experience for me and I hope that my blog will turn into a resourceful and inspring site. I am an artist learning to live with Behcets Disease. Behcets Disease is like having Lupus, MS, and Crohn's all at once. My journey to a diagnosis has been a learning experience as well as frustrating one. Anyone who has any type of auto immune disease can relate to that I am sure. As I develop my blog I will be learning how blogging works and sharing my journey as well as my art. This is something I would not ordinarily do, but life is not ordinary anymore and I really feel like I need to get out there and advocate for myself and others faced with Behcets. Please bare with me as I get started because I have a lot to learn about blogging.