WHAT IS SELF-CARE FOR ARTISTS?

TENDINITIS IS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG

Don't worry! This is the only
Ad for the book in this post!

If you are an artist, cartoonist, or other creative type suffering from repetitive stress injury and you have an extra $17, the easiest way start on a self-care regimen of improved work habits and corrective exercise is to go by my book Draw Stronger.

But, as many of you know, musculoskeletal injuries are not the only health issues that keep us from creative practice. Chronic illnesses like cancer, epilepsy, migraine (my personal fave!), and more, can keep us from being able to physically sit our artistic butts in a chair and get to work. States of mental health like depression, bipolar disorders, and more can also keep us away from creative time. The kicker is that these states are not exclusive! You can experience them separately or in various combinations with different degrees of severity. What combination(s) do you experience? PTSD and carpal tunnel syndrome? Lupus and bipolar disorder? Cancer, anxiety, and disc herniation? Oh, yeah – don’t forget eye strain! The possibilities are endless!

This is a slide from a talk I gave at the Massachusetts
Independent Comics Expo (MICE) in 2018,
called "Drawing Deep: Physical and Mental Self-Care Strategies
for Comics Creators." Art is Georgia Webber's.

Let us a agree to say that a drawing injury is ANY state of your body-mind-spirit that keeps you from, or affects, your drawing (in a bad way.)

Since finishing Draw Stronger, I have been involved in many panels and events, at comics conferences, bookstores, and colleges, exploring the definitions and parameters of “self-care”. I am thrilled at the work other artists and health educators are doing to help people care for themselves and live more creative and productive lives. And, of course I’m thrilled for me too! Not only do I give advice, I follow the advice of other people and am happier for it.

UNIVERSAL TRUTHS

 On May 12, 2018, I was on the panel, Practical & Personal: Communicating Health in Comics, at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF), with Iasmin Omar Ata, Julie Rocheleau, and Georgia Webber. Whit Taylor moderated.

During our talk, Iasmin and Georgia laid out a few universal truths about good health and making good comics:

1. Every person has their own version of health.
2. You have to be in touch with how you’re feeling.
3. Know your limits because…
4. The consequences of not learning health lessons fast enough can be extreme.
5. Find a balance between passion and what’s right for you.

  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFO AND RESOURCES (by me)

For the last year (or so) I have been writing a column for the ComicsBeat.com called Get A Grip! It’s a self-care column that includes as many facets of healthy creative practice that I can think of. There are articles on Graphic Medicine, mental health, eye strain (coming soon!), using Styrofoam rollers, interviews with creators, and more! You can even find a transcript of Iasmin and Georgia’s discussion at TCAF. 

INJURY PREVENTION WORKSHOP AT CXC

DRAWING WITH (NO) PAIN!

Yes, this weekend I will be (re)covering Drawing With No Pain! workshop at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (aka CXC). You may have been to my First Aid for Drawing Injuries, and/or No Back Pain! or other workshops, but I think this one is the most important because..

• I take you through the groundwork of setting up a regular injury prevention practice.
• We explore different types of injuries, 
• ...go over guidelines on when to see a doctor,
• ...start to think of ourselves as "cartoonist-athletes",
• ...and practice some simple movements and stretches that may help improve posture and relieve stress on joints.

This is the very least of it. I know it's only an hour, but you'd be surprised how much material we can pack into that small amount of time.

The workshop is on Friday October 14 at 11:00 AM. Address is below.

Oh yeah, IT'S FREE!

Come on by the Will Eisner Seminar Room in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

Oh, yeah, I will be selling my mega-mini comics (No)Pain! Injury Prevention For Cartoonists, and First Aid for Drawing Injuries at the downtown brach of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Saturday and Sunday October 15-16. 

SMORGASBORD OF UPCOMING EVENTS

FIRST THING FIRST

If you're looking for more information about the Visualizing and Drawing Anatomy class, there's a paragraph below with a link for more info. But I will be writing an in-depth blogpost for May 17th that will give more details.

NOW THE FUN BEGINS!
If I ever whine about being bored in your presence you have my permission to tell me to shut up  and remind me of this spring. The fun doesn't stop until June 28th!

Me at TCAF in 2014 presenting some anatomy about muscle strain.

The fun never stops!

GUEST PRESENTER AT TCAF

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) has invited me to participate in their Word Balloon Academy Professional Clinic on Friday May 13th at the Bloor Yorkville Marriott. I will be available to answer questions about injury prevention and good drawing habits and will have copies of my mini comics (No) Pain! and First Aid for Drawing Injuries for sale. I will also present a self care workshop on back pain prevention on Saturday May 14th in the early afternoon, AND will be reading from some of my less educational comics for a Carousel Slide Show on Sunday the 15th late afternoon, details TBA May 11ish. TCAF is still working on their schedule. Can’t make it to Toronto but still want to buy a copy of one of my mini comics? Click on the title and you will be takes to Birdcage Bottom Book "shop" page.

Just when you thought there was nothing left to injure!

NO BACK PAIN! ANOTHER GUIDE TO INJURY PREVENTION FOR CARTOONISTS

Yes, there is a third volume of injury prevention and self care in the works! No Back Pain! Another Guide to Injury Prevention for Cartoonists focuses on... you guessed it - back pain! This mini comic explains the anatomy behind three common causes of back pain: muscle spasm, muscle tear, and disk herniation. It also gives some guidelines for self care and injury prevention, and presents breathing and conditioning exercises for relaxing and strengthening the core muscles of the trunk. (As usual, if you use this book instead of medical advice you are out of your mind.) No Back Pain! is still in-progress but I will have excerpted draft copies for preview at TCAF.

The past meets the present on June 7!

Visualizing and Drawing Anatomy Workshop at the New York Academy of Medicine

I am very excited to announce that I am partnering with the New York Academy of Medicine to offer an anatomy for artists four week workshop on Monday evenings June 6, 13, 20, and 27. As per usual I will be drawing the musculoskeletal system onto live models, but the most exciting part is that each class starts with an exploration of body parts and other systems in the Academy’s Drs. Barry and Bobbi Coller Rare Book Reading Room! For registration and  information you can visit the NYAM events page. And, as stated above, I will be posting an in-depth description and sneak peak at some of the images we will be working with at NYAM on May 17th.

VIRTUAL MEMORIES INTERVIEW

TALK, TALK, TALK
A few weeks ago I had a chat that happened to be an interview with Gil Roth for his Virtual Memories Show. 

Curious about the origins of my Pathology Laffs series? How about some opinions on how people learn, or strategies for making science funny? Maybe you're curious about my past dance career. Follow this link to Virtual Memories, click on my interview, and brace yourself for an hour of fun! (The first 12 minutes are an interview with writer Paul Di Filippo) My Interview (#154) starts at minute 12:45 on the download.

I thought it might be fun to post some images and links to accompany my conversation with Gil. Here's your program!

MINUTE 12:45 MY BIO AND INTRODUCTION

Dura Mater (Dance and Anatomy Projects before 2010)

Marymount Manhattan Dance Department

The Cinematologist

Integrative Medicine Service at MSKCC

MINUTE 14:20 CARTOONISTS AND DRAWING INJURIES

Me from our last visit to the Center for Cartoon Studies

First Aid, part 2 of my self care series.

MINUTE 18:20 THE PHYSICAL STRESSES EFFECTING CARTOONISTS

From (No) Pain!

MINUTE 21:20 THE CHALLENGES OF TEACHING GOOD HABITS

It's much easier to teach people interested in what you have to say. 

The trick is to find a way to get disinterested people interested!

MINUTE 23:35 MY HISTORY WITH COMICS AND SCI FI

Welcome to my 10-year-old-world!

Andre Norton, Dark Piper

My Sci Fi tastes have matured, I guess.

Love these guys! (James SA Corey)

MINUTE 26:00 GROWING UP IN A WORLD OF NERDS

Dragon etching from Junior High.

MINUTE 30:30 HOW PATHOLOGY LAFFS AND LOUISE THE LOUSE CAME INTO BEING

The gag cartoon that started it all.

The earliest Carousel Cartoon Slideshow poster I could find. 

My illustration is the cancerous mice, bottom right.

MINUTE 35:00 DANCE, PERFORMING, DANCING COMPARED TO DRAWING

This pic got me a page in Dance Magazine.

For more about past dance projects see DuraMater.org.

MINUTE 41:00 NEEDLEWORK, MEDICAL IMAGERY, AND COMICS

Two in-progress pieces I will be submitting to 4Panel.

The bottom images are from a SciArt Center workshop.

Catherine's Knee, photo by Tom Henning.

MINUTE 52:37 TEACHING ANATOMY: BACKGROUND, VISUALIZING ANATOMY, SPECULATIVE ANATOMY

Joan Reilly created some incredible anatomy images based on class homework.

Drawing on a body helps us visualize structures under the skin.

MINUTE 59:30 MORE ABOUT SELF-CARE FOR ARTISTS

WOW! YOU MADE IT! TAKE A BREAK.

FIRST AID FOR DRAWING INJURIES

ANOTHER ESSENTIAL VOLUME
You're a cartoonist. You take care of yourself to prevent drawing injuries, do your stretches, take regular breaks, draw with perfect posture, and what happens? You start to experience pain while you draw anyway. Another example of Bad Things happening to Good People. What do you do? Go to the doctor if it's serious, but if it's a minor injury go to your bookshelf and start reading First Aid For Drawing Injuries or, Pain is Your Frenemy!

Finally, the sequel to (NO)PAIN! Injury Prevention for Cartoonists is here! This little tome can be used to help you reduce discomfort until you can see a healthcare professional, or it can provide guidelines for the self-care of mild drawing injuries that don't require medical attention. Explore R.I.C.E. therapy from the perspective of the committed drawer, learn some tips for understanding your pain, avoid making your injury worse, and more!

The benefits and dangers of compression... revealed!

How do you get your mitts on this mini? Come to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival and their Word Balloon Academy May 8-10! 

Not in Toronto? Pick up a copy at Brooklyn's Grand Comics Festival June 6.

Not in Brooklyn? By the end of May you will be able to order a copy through Birdcage Bottom Books. More on that soon.

INJURY PREVENTION FOR CARTOONISTS

If it's on the web or in PowerPoint it must be true!

SURPRISE!
I know seems impossible, but some people (mostly non-drawers) assume I'm kidding when I tell them I present workshops about injury prevention for cartoonist. How could you get injured from drawing? Think about it- spending long hours over a drawing board (or screen), compounded by time out for texting and computer work means daily hours of potential hand, wrist, arm, and back torture. If you take breaks from drawing by relaxing hunched over your stamp collection or balled up on the couch gaming (is that what the kids call it?) you've got the equivalent of a big "injure me!" sign taped to your back or other parts.

It's surprising to me that cartoonists aren't injured more often.

As a part of the workshop I give a tour of some of the parts that get injured.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES
The good news is that comics fests and cons are starting to work self-care into their professional practices programing. I've lead injury prevention workshops at M.I.C.E. (two years in a row) and on May 9 presented at T.C.A.F. as a part of their Word Balloon Academy professional events.

I hear a lot of injury and pain stories from comics artists. Some have a happy ending and some don't.   I am thrilled to say that more and more artists are interested in actively reducing their chances of injury. 

No matter what your medium, your most important equipment is your body! At this point in time, you still have to physically interface with your materials in order to put marks on paper or virtual paper. If you damage your body you can reduce your ability to draw. 

Here I am using images from my minicomic, (NO) PAIN! 

to scare everyone straight. I might make jokes about them, but

nerve impingements are not funny, people!

THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST-ATHLETE!
Drawing is an endurance event. Drawing a comic is a 15 K race. Drawing a graphic novel is a marathon. If you're going to put your pencil in a drawer and retire at age 40ish like many professional athletes, then don't worry about self care. However, I'd like to point out that athletes retiring at 40 have been training their whole careers and leaving nothing to chance. But for those of you interested in drawing comfortably well into your dotage you should consider how you're going to care for your most important drawing equipment (you!)

This is not an interpretive dance. I'm leading everyone in some neck stretches.

I'm not going to give you the whole 45-60 minute illustrated spiel here in this post. (Too long! You wouldn't make it 1/4 of the way through.) But the gist is: Have a regular exercise/movement practice; eat right (or at least better); sleep right (or at least better); perform a physical "warm up" before you draw; take breaks while drawing; stretch afterward; if you think you're injured and it's not getting better, see a doctor.

You don't have to make huge changes all at once. Little cumulative alterations in drawing, exercise, and general health habits can snowball over years into a lifestyle that gives you a lot more time to draw pain free.