Visual Seizure Diary

I recently re-discovered my fine art roots, which I haven't tapped into since my first year of art school. I've found it has been great therapy, and in that respect I've also been researching art therapy as a way to cope with some of the issues I deal with, epilepsy and otherwise.

I'm no great sketch artist, but I know these images are just for me, so there are no judgements or critique like there were in college. I've been watching some technique videos on YouTube, and watching a couple documentaries about Art Therapy. It's important to me to see and hear from others and how art has helped as coping strategy for them, whether it be visual art, writing, music, theater, etc.

So, while drawing I've been trying to come up with subjects, and I decided that I would like to draw something that meant a lot to me. Because my memory is so bad, and I usually don't remember my seizures, I often do have a still image in my brain of the last thing I saw before the lights went out and the seizure started. 

So... that's going to be my subject. A visual seizure diary. I'm going to draw the last image I remember from my seizures with a date of the drawing and a short description on the back of the image to reference in the future. I've completed two drawings already from major seizure memories from the last six months.

I probably won't draw every seizure because a lot of them I just don't remember, like there's no image in my head before the seizure began. But to have a visual record of a seizure could be, and had been so far, a great way to cope with some of the issues that have risen since being diagnosed with epilepsy.

I have a nice set of colored pencils, and I'll keep purchasing drawing pads as I fill them. Hopefully I won't need too many sketchbooks in the future, because that equals more seizures, but I know it's my reality, and if I can find a way to make something positive out of this horrible disorder, then I'm game.

Hell, maybe I'll become a better artist in the process.