Pieces of Me - A charcoal collection of healing and self-appreciation

A little while ago, I shared that one of my art pieces was selected to be used the EDS Canada Foundation as part of their awareness and fundraising efforts. Today, I want to talk more about this entire collection; what it truly means to me.

The 'Pieces of Me' collection began as an experiment in charcoal

I remember using old pieces of charred wood to draw pictures when I was a kid. "Hmm, it works a lot like chalk pastels," I said to myself. I liked it. But, as with anything in childhood, the fancy wore off and I found myself pursuing other interests.

It was a long time before I felt called back to charcoal. "I can't draw." And, truthfully, I really couldn't draw very well. My artwork was mostly paint-based and abstract because I lacked the skills to bring forward the vision I had in my mind.

But, I had practiced drawing faces from pictures by first displaying the picture on my computer and outlining it on a piece of paper. I was starting to get used to the way that light and shadows settle on a face. So, on a whim (as some of the best things often are) I purchased a charcoal set and decided to give it a go.

I didn't watch any teaching videos about it. I didn't learn how to use proper techniques. I just dove in.

Spoiler alert - most of my charcoal is done with makeup brushes 😆🤷🏻‍♀️

And so, the charcoal experiment began.

 

 

I started drawing myself because it was easy

"If I draw myself there is no one to offend if I totally screw it up."

They often say that the best tools are the ones you have, and (not call myself a tool 😆) I was the easiest subject to find. After all, everywhere I go, there I am.

I had no intention of turning these drawings into a full art series. I was just playing around. But something happened.

Slowly, I began to fall in love with each piece. Every time I drew a piece of myself I saw how beautiful the drawing was and thought - "Wow, that's me."

I've had a difficult relationship with my body

As I'm sure so many of us have, I have struggled with my relationship to my body. But it wasn't all about the aesthetic and the usual social pressures to look a certain way.

I struggle with my body because I often feel like it betrays me.

As someone with Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, I have struggled with joint subluxations and dislocations, digestive problems, skin issues, hair loss, migraines, and more. The things I've felt I should be able to do as a young person and a I creep into middle age are simply not possible much of the time.

I spent a lot of years angry at this body. "I hate this body," has been said on more than one occasion. I've wanted to trade it in and start again.

Finding the beauty in the darkness helps with healing

For me, taking the time to draw parts of my body helped me learn to love it in a different way; to appreciate its beauty. To look at it and see that, despite it not working well a lot of the time, it's doing its best.

This body of mine got dealt a difficult hand. But it is the one body I get. It is my soul's companion from birth to death. Through every stumble, every fall; through every surgery and medication; through every moment of play and meditation ... ok I started to get all rhymey there 😅

But it's true. This body is with me through the good and the bad. It hurts a lot and requires a lot of my attention, but it's also the body that lets me hug my loved ones. It's the one that tastes sweet desserts, sings beautiful songs, and listens to people who need a shoulder to cry on.

It's the first friend I ever had. It's the last one to hold me before I die.

It's worth appreciating.

Check out the entire Pieces of Me collection here.