Do Things Differently

So this post is about doing things differently, something many of us don’t enjoy doing.  If you do something in a different way than you are used to, you may think that only increases your chances of failure.  But it truly does much better things for you.  By doing things differently you can look at life from a different perspective.  By doing things differently you can possibly find your true calling that you never knew existed before.  How do I know this?  I’ve been doing things differently my entire life.

When I get up in the morning I cannot get myself dressed or into my chair.  I need to rely on either my parents or my nurse to assist me in all of that.  Once I am downstairs, my parents or my nurse have to help feed me breakfast and give me my medicine.  On weekdays, my nurse has to drive me to school and stay with me at college the entire day.  My nurse and my parents mostly have to be my arms and legs for me.  If I need a drink of water, someone has to get it for me and put a a straw in it so that I can drink it.  If I need a snack, someone has to get it for me.  If my arm falls off of my armrest, someone has to put it back on the armrest for me.  If I want to use my computer, my little brother has to help me put my hands on the table and push the table closer to me so that I can reach my laptop.  If I need to be dropped off somewhere, my parents have to drive me there.

But there are also many things that I do on my own differently.  When I am typing this blog post, I have to use the part of my fingers on the back of my hand instead of the part on the palm of my hand since my hands are so tight.  When I eat, I have to avoid foods that are too chewy or tough to eat since I have the risk of choking.  When I want to turn the page in a textbook I try to turn it with my pencil by sticking it in between the next two pages and moving it to the left.  When I want to do anything at all I have to think of different ways of doing it and be patient with myself.  These things may change my appearance, such as my feet splints and my wheelchair, but they also make me a stronger person.

I’ve been able to learn how to be patient with myself and people around me.  I’ve been able to learn what the truly important things in life.  I’ve been able to learn how to look past someone’s appearance and see the person they truly are inside.  I’ve been able to listen to people when they talk about a problem they are having since I have been through a lot myself and I know how good it feels for someone to just listen.  I’ve been able to keep on trudging on through life even when it seems there is nothing worth living for.  I’ve been able to turn failure into a lesson to be learned, and many of those lessons I share here on my blog in the past 49 posts.  Finally, I’ve been able to learn that Optimism is the best thing for not only me, but everyone else.  Hence, my blog was able to begin and become what it is today.  My blog was able to reach over 14,000 visitors from around the world in what will be a year in only two weeks.  Now if doing things differently can make my life better, imagine what it can do for you.

Art from the Heart

Guest Post - Corinne Romano

When growing up each of us develop our own coping skills for life.  Sometimes coping skills can come from exercise, writing, or talking it out; however for me personally I found my bliss in art.

For as long as I can remember I draw to make myself happy.  My go to emotional stabilizer is art, when I’m stressed, depressed or even ecstatic, I create.  From day one my parents have encouraged my overactive imagination.  Art has gotten me through my toughest trials of life.

A little more than a year ago I tore my ACL and was told I wouldn’t be able to move for at least two months, and walking/running would take at least six.  While I was bed ridden I decided to do anything I could to help make progress.

So I set myself up with sketchbooks, pens and my best jewelry making equipment.  In that time, I created some of the most original and beautiful pieces of jewelry I could imagine.  After building up a collection of my pieces I had worked clear through my boredom and pain.  I was off my pain medications from surgery within three days, and because I could do my physical therapy while working I had the ability to walk in under a month.  My final recovery time took me only five months.  Doctors were amazed at my more than speedy recovery.  I’ve concluded that if I’m not working I’m unhappy.

A few months later I had my first relationship.  Things were more than amazing for most of our time together.  During my happiest days I had worked on my AP studio portfolio.  Because I was so happy to be working and to have a companion, I poured more of myself into that project than I ever thought I would.

I ended up getting a very high grade on my final portfolio.  However, when we did eventually break up I was a mess.  When I didn’t want to talk, eat or even breathe I turned back to my drawing boards.  During my time of grief I worked through it creating outlandish creatures and worlds that lay hidden deep inside my imagination.  Emotionally that was one of the hardest times of my life.  I had receded into myself and the only signs of life I showed was my production of art.  When I finally came out of it I had monstrous creations with epic detailing and character backgrounds to match.

However, moving on from my issues, making art is only half the joy.  While making a picture or sculpture is rewarding, the real joy is seeing other people react to my art.  There’s nothing more exciting than watching people’s face light up when they see my pictures.  They may laugh at my comics or just be amazed at my natural talent.

People ask me all the time how I get so good at art.  The truth is, I just practice all the time.  Literally every second of the day I’m imagining new things, creatures, characters, worlds, I just breathe art.  Recently my imagination has taken my art to the next level.  Now when I stare idly out into space my brain draws on blank walls.  I can see the images in my head as if they were actually painted on the walls.  The way I see it its almost like having superpowers.

So if you’re an aimless doodler, or a wide-eyed dreamer, art is a tool we can all use to make our lives better.  Just getting things out on a page can be the difference between bottling up stress or grief, and releasing your demons so you can move on with your life.  And there is no greater gift than finding someone that can see what you feel behind the artwork.  For me, that feeling is freedom.