ABOUT ME

My name is Elisabeth, and I am a creative artist who has struggled with chronic health conditions for over ten years. I love all things beauty, style, travel, and art related. I love being chic and living life to the fullest through my style, art, friends, family and travels. I started this blog to express my creative side through my love of beauty, style and art, but also to create awareness and a support system for people that struggle with chronic health issues.

I studied music originally at university, though I switched to business management halfway through--due to health reasons. I worked then briefly for Estee Lauder as a beauty adviser.  I have been working as a managing health administer since I graduated uni.

I grew up in Austria, as I am half Austrian and half American, and moved to the States when I was 15. This year I will be moving back to Europe--this time to Florence, Italy to attend art school, and I am so excited to blog about my adventures there!

MY ART

Although I have always adored art through my classical upbringing, visiting the Art History Museum in Vienna countless times, as well as traveling to see other incredible art museums all over Europe and USA, I only really started to paint whilst at university.

I was studying music, which I had to give up as my heart tumor was found, and a year in bed rest and general weakness showed me I could never be physically well enough to be a singer. So! There I was, lying in bed with nothing to do, I started exploring various different creative mediums, such as designing and making jewelry, and painting, as a way to escape my pain. I started by painting studies of all my favorite impressionist artists, and then got enough confidence to start composing my own paintings.

I am particularly drawn towards the brilliant color and power of the Impressionist school whose strength of imagery empowers me, and I particularly enjoy impasto painting with the palette knife technique with both oils and acrylics. I have had the luck to have my work internationally exhibited in England, Austria, and the United States.

I have also always kept a nature journal with drawings and paintings of local flora and fauna that I use to inspire my work. The lush tropical landscape of Florida daily inspires me to paint and perfectly fits with my vibrant palette knife style. I am also inspired by all of my travels (to 27+ countries), and paint distinct vivid memories that have stayed with me through the years.

I am also lucky to be a contributing writer for Verily Magazine online.

MY HEALTH

I had perfect health until I was 14 years old, when I got Toxic Shock Syndrome (learn more about TSS here), which resulted in multiple organ failure, coma, and terrible repercussions. I never really recovered, and the repercussions resulted in horrible health issues. After years of tests and going to one specialist to another, I was finally diagnosed Fibromyalgia (learn more about FM here), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (learn more about POTS here), as well as (more recently discovered) Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (learn more about EDS here). The final facet of my delightful multi-faceted gem of health issues, was the finding of a rare and inoperable heart tumor (lipoma), located in my left ventricle, which I found my junior year of college (read more about my tumor, which was published here).

I have lived now for over 10 years with these terrible health problems. I have been through the ringer of tests, surgeries, and countless visits with every specialist that exists (practically :)!  I had to learn to live, go to university, to work, and survive using tricks and lifestyle hacks. I had to learn how to balance my surgeries and hospital visits with staying on top of school and work. I had quit my dream of being a musician, as I simply was not physically able to. I had to survive a year of bed rest, and I had to find other creative outlets that I could manage from my bed.

I would like to share how I live with my chronic conditions; how I manage to survive the workplace with these physical issues; how I travel; how I live. I want to create awareness of of POTS, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and that living a fulfilled life is possible--even with suffering. I want to be the empathetic ear, voice, and support to all of you who suffer from chronic health issues.

It is so easy for people with chronic sickness to feel completely isolated: emotionally, psychologically and physically. You have no one who really understands what you are going through; no one who feels the pain you feel; no one who understands the level of despair that pain and suffering can bring. How do you figure out how to pursue your dreams when you are so physically limited? How do you cope when the pain is too much to handle? How do you accept your handicaps and pursue happiness? I want to be, through this blog, that someone that can truly empathise with your health trials; someone who has spent those long hours in the hospital; someone who has experienced the humiliation of sickness--from bedpans to sponge baths.

Please join me by commenting, subscribing, and sending me messages with your experiences and struggles, so we can become a supportive community for each other. Share your coping mechanisms, your life hacks, and your stories!