She herself was bipolar and her cycles were especially severe and sometimes she'd cycle from mania to severe depression in one day and back. And she couldn't work on art quite a lot of the time. It was a struggle for her.
Two years ago we were planning to do a craft show (which was a horrible show and has forever convinced me that I am never going to do another vendor/craft show again - the type of show where people sell Avon and Pampered Chef amidst people selling crafts) in May 2012.
As usual I overdid it, making masses of things - mini collages, cards, and magnets - and organizing things to the Nth degree, to the point where someone might have called me obsessive.
Zelda on the other hand was having trouble organizing the work she already had, and not even really pulling together new things.
And she couldn't understand how I could organize myself to do what I was doing. And, I think, she questioned whether anything was really wrong with me. She had the opinion that anyone with severe bipolar would have great difficulty managing to exist, let alone pull off all the additional work that a show entailed.
It's a question a lot of people have asked me - how do you do it?
I can only answer in one word -
SURVIVAL
And I'm not overstating it.In order to survive and get through the day, I need a purpose. Since I am no longer working (not for four years, sadly) I need to have a reason to get up in the morning (well, pets don't exactly let you wallow in bed).
Art is my reason. I think it's true for many people with a chronic illness that having an outlet allows someone to cope with symptoms that might otherwise be difficult to tolerate. My outlet is making art. Making something. Making something that will make people happy.
But I am not obsessed with making art. Really. And if you believe that.....
later,
lin
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Thanks for reading and thanks for commenting - I'm always interested in what you think. Feel free to offer suggestions for future posts