Artistic Tangents: A Hidden Gift From MCS by Liberty

Thank you Mokihana for providing such a wonderful diversity of categories for this Canary Caravan!

The category that I felt most drawn to was 'Tangents' - in your words, "Tangents are the unexpected and often unplanned paths or off-shoots of a life planned; places and experiences that spontaneously happen because we are human and because MCS might have had something to add to the old 'normal.'"

Having MCS has led to a number of positive tangents in my life and my favourite is the way it has effected my art.
Prior to having severe MCS, I used acrylic paints and a number of other mixed medias - many of which were high in VOCs and contributed to me developing MCS.
When severe MCS hit, I became unable to use those mediums without becoming very sick.  I experienced deep grief over the loss of my ability to paint with the mediums that felt natural to me and with which I was comfortable.

In time, however, this 'limitation' led me to try different artistic mediums/methods such as watercolour painting, drawing, colouring, art journalling as well as learning to make my own non-toxic glue.
At first, my attempts in these directions were very disappointing and I gave up for a few years.

Eventually, however, my need to create made me try again - and persist until I became more comfortable with these mediums.
After getting over the learning hurdle, I am now in love with watercolour as a medium and I don't feel the least bit 'deprived'!  I am also growing to love many of the other art forms I've explored that I wouldn't have if not for MCS.

Even severe chronic health problems or disabilities can bring gifts if we look for them.  I am very grateful to MCS for providing the 'tangent' that led to the evolution of my art!  I now spend time being creative almost every day and it is a very healing part of my journey through life.

About this Canary Caravan Contributor:

Liberty is a 30-something Canadian who is passionate about the healing power of creative expression (in any form) and blogs at Divinity Withinity - art, creativity, fun as well as sharing her MCS improvements at Moving Beyond MCS.