hand tremors and other physical disruptions to making art

a few years ago i was diagnosed with hashimoto's, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid, with one of the most self-disrupting symptoms at that time being hand tremors. when my hands shake, it makes for a very frustrating and unsuccessful session of drawing grids by hand for my pixel art paintings. autoimmune symptoms are typically heightened by the stress that they initially cause, a hilarious (laugh so i don't cry and get stressed out) and cruel cycle. to work through this adversity, i looked to other artists who came into physical disruptions that impacted their art practice for inspiration and just to feel less alone.

untitled (1982), sepia-toned pastel portrait of a male bust by tom of finland

tom of finland switched to pastels from detailed penciling to accommodate his trembling hands coming from emphysema and his medicine.

the parakeet and the mermaid (1952), colorful paper cut-out onto a white background set of panels by henri matisse

henri matisse spent the last several years of his life low-energy and bedridden after surgery for treating his cancer nearly killed him. unable to paint like he used to, he transitioned his practice to cutting out shapes in bold colors, employing assistants to place them. i wrote about this iconic era and built a tool that lets you make your own digital version all the way back in 2015.

photo of a wall in the hague with william carlos williams iconic poem "this is just to say" etched into it.

the writer, new jersey icon, and sorrowful plum thief, william carlos williams had a series of post-heart attack strokes that left him unable to write before he finished his epic poem, paterson. he did continue working on it, along with other works until his death, by learning how to use a typewriter with his non-dominant hand.

these are just a few examples of many i am sure, as facing physical disruptions is an inevitable part of the human experience if one is so blessed to carry the gift of aging. i think about this a lot as i have now lived 16 years longer than my mother was able to. anyway, my tremors have been a lot better as of late, here is my most recent painting.

my painting nearest_neighbor 2, a pixel art portrait of a nude figure in grayscale with yellow background, still drying in this photo

with a thyroid in chaos in a body on a planet that's in chaos, i figure it's inevitable that i'll come across these shaky bones again but i literally have prior art to turn to and help me regulate the frustration from lack of control.