Invisible Illness
June 13, 2021Some of my artwork is purely for therapeutic benefit, for me. It was not meant to be seen, it just allowed me to express my deepest emotions and experiences-which I normally keep inside and rarely reveal to anyone.
It occurred to me, however, that if I’d known others felt the way I do, thought the things I do, or even simply to see that art can be a voice for those of us who struggle to verbalise our thoughts and emotions..it could be a really wonderful thing to someone struggling like I was before I unintentionally discovered the therapeutic benefits of Art. More than that, my art is my voice when I thought I didn’t have one, my escape when I need one and my joy anytime I like.
That’s why I share my personal artwork, because if it can help me, then it can help others too. Putting my confessional artwork out there, bearing my soul to the world, showing my raw honest truth is a scary thing..but if it resonates with just one person and helps them to find a way to cope with their struggles, then it was worth it.
‘Invisible Illness’
(Poem related to the drawing)
A4 size Original Drawing
Ball point pen and coloured pencils
‘Invisible Illness’
‘Tortured and trapped
By my own body’s pain
Stabbed and pulled down
With the strain
From the heavy balls and chains
Anchored to the depths of despair
By a ten tonne weight
Bound and gagged
Unable to cry for help
No movement painless
No position comfortable
No light in the distance
No hope for my existence
Invisible illness
I hide with a smile
Until it’s too much to bare
And the smile has withered
I don’t remember when
But I can’t fake anymore
The anguish emits
From my deepest core’
Eleni NeoBenyon
2021
