10/24/2025
Wow so much has passed since Krista and I collaborated on this … both us now psychotherapists and Krista sharing her artful talents in healing professionally … while both of us still living 15 minutes at a time
"Making the Invisible Visible"
Warning: This post is lengthy . . .
Earlier in the year, I decided to embark upon a long-time vision of creating an exhibit around the subject matter of living with invisible (chronic) illness. It has a lot to do with the importance of sharing the messaging of what it is like to live with the "things" that nobody sees when they look at us, and also what seems to be so hard at times to put into words to describe to the 'neurotypicals' around us who do not understand this day to day life experience.
It began with the vision of an exhibit and a lot of excitement. Due to my own illnesses, and managing my own stress level as a single mom, and all the stuff of life I found I had to put my plans on hold over the summer and fall. Stress, for someone with chronic illness...well let's just say it's not good for anyone, but for those with a lower threshold it can tip us over pretty quickly. Life in balance is also the goal!
For those whom I have already met in person over coffee to share stories and make plans for the project, I want you to know how grateful I am to each of you!! Each person that has taken the time to complete an application form, thank you so very much! Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey. Some of you I still have on my contact list to reach out to, and you can expect to be hearing from me soon to gauge your interest in participating in this project.
A little something I have learned, and keep learning about living with invisible 'things' is that on days we feel well we want to take on the world, and then our bodies and life reminds us that we need to adjust and accept our 'new normals', and live life on life's terms. I regret that some of you have been waiting so long to hear back from me, but I know that if anyone in the world 'gets it', its all of you!
So, in keeping with my dedication to this project of "Making the Invisible Visible", I thought I would share with you one of the finished portraits as a sneak peek.
Pictured here is the radiant Lesley Baker. Lesley, like each person I have encountered in this journey, shows remarkable resilience, strength, joy for life, and a commitment to living a good life and being true to herself.
Each person I interview I ask them to share with me how they approach life, or tools that have helped them to move forward and find balance. It is my intention to select with you, YOUR words with your portrait. The goal is also to have a short biography that accompanies each portrait (which is also the intention behind the google questionnaire.)
Thank you, to each of you who have shown interest and support in this project, and who have even suggested family and friends who might be interested. You are all bringing this project to life, and it has become very clear to me, that this isn't "my" project, but OURS! Stay tuned for more updates as plans progress. I will pace myself as I move forward, but I am still committed to seeing this through.
One of the things that created a challenge for me, that in the past would have been a piece of cake, was applying for grant funding. I welcome anyone with such experience to please message me if you are able to help out with my efforts with this. Ideally, each participant would be paid to be part of the exhibit. This is something I can only do with grant funding and/or adequate sponsorship. Thank you everyone!!
