Our Inspiration Corner:
Artsy Fartsy Crafts and Chat
Amongst the bustling community is a special time: the “Artsy Fartsy Crafts and Chat.” It is a creative oasis where women come together much like a traditional sewing circle, with creativity borderless, sharing, laughing, and supporting one another while making handcrafted arts and crafts.
A Canvas of Creativity
Mary Lou Cook once said, “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” That pretty much sums up our attitude at the event.
It’s not really about the arts and crafts that we do but about the happiness, laughter, and the road of discovery and self-expression that we walk together.
Showcasing Our Talented Members
Our last sitting was a talent and creativity that lay on the bed of roses. From the hands of Carol, there lay on the table colorful paintings that spoke of the story of hope and strength at every stroke.
Through the use of simple lines, Kristen’s drawings were expressive and seemed to bring out the power. With her brush, Fiona painted a world where colors danced and mingled to show our battles and victories with lipedema in fluidity. And Siobhan’s knitting needles clicked and clacked their way into the rhythm of a little later, warm, textural stories of our shared experiences. And Gail, with her Zentangle art, taught us to find appreciation for complexity and beauty much like the tiny patterns on our pieces of paper.
Empowerment Through Art Each work of art, each smile shared, each repeated tale all lay further groundwork for possibilities to be seen and embraced with lipedema when support and encouragement are wrought from each other. Our art and craft sessions have been very empowering, reminding us of our strength and creativity, but also the support we give to each other in this community, which goes far beyond meeting up with friends.
Finally, let’s carry with us that just as much as creativity and shared experiences had proven to be very therapeutic for the participants, they had also been a great source of strength and inspiration. And the best they can do is break the rules, make mistakes, and, most importantly, have fun, because that’s where the magic is.
Remember,… Anything is possible with Lipedema.
~ Gail Straker