Sculpting and MS

by Rob

The fact that I still have the use of my arms and hands does make my life worth living. My name is Rob and I am 42 years old. I was diagnosed with MS when I was 26 and have been taking injections daily for over 15 years now. My mind works, but physically I am dead below the waist. I was always an artist at heart, but when it became impossible to work anymore, I became incredibly depressed. I used to love to hike, but over the last 10 years, my ability to do so went from minimal effort to I couldn't even bend down to put on my boots, let alone have the strength to wear them. It all changed when I was introduced to sculpting. My world suddenly opened up and I was able to do something I enjoyed, working with my hands, and still not get tired. The use of hands in a medium such as clay has allowed me to create items from my mind, providing an almost god-like feeling of creation. It allows me to close my eyes and picture life as it was, while my hands are doing their thing. This has led me to create many abstract pieces, at least in my own mind, though the comments of patrons has made it clear that our inner thoughts always control us, no matter how we believe we are free of them. I have been told by more than one art judge that my pieces show torment through a beauty of their own. Nevertheless, I am far more at peace, knowing that I can do what I can still do.