In many cases when I'm commissioned for art projects, I am frequently asked just how I got my start in the creative industry.
Truth is, I've always been an artist since childhood.
But as crazy as it sounds... an unfortunate incident that happened to me 5 years ago is actually what I now credit as my muse for the evolution of my artistic expression.
Here's how it all unfolded...
At the ripe age of 30, when most males enter manhood (not to mention, their 'prime') as true adults, hard-working professionals and even soon-to-be-grooms... I was unfortunately challenged with a stroke, leaving me with the complete functional loss of the left side of my body.
Additionally, I lost voluntary control of my left eye, which resulted in experiencing double vision for roughly 90% of each day following the incident.
I'll admit-- Before I had this stroke, I was a very "aesthetically conscientious" being... perpetually fixated on my outward appearance, how attractive I appeared to others in public and was even known by my close friends as a "Pretty Boy" simply because of the ridiculous amount of time it took me to get ready to leave the house (even just to go out and pick up a few groceries at a nearby store).
Doctors who treated me for my condition scheduled me for numerous sessions of rehabilitation, but I neglected my appointments and opted for alternative methods to recover on my own instead.
Over a period of weeks, I challenged my own motor skills by forcing myself to re-learn & play the "Guitar Hero" video game (with my debilitated hand) for hours on end... and I attempted to improve my eye coordination by performing typical housework chores with my now-disabled left arm..such as unloading the dishwasher... And I also made up games with a pool ball using only the left side of my body to roll and retrieve.
Eventually I was able to return to my full-time job in sales, but shortly after I was re-visited by the effects of my stroke, because my left eye didn't function at 100% (as a I anticipated it would over time).
While independently trying to regain my full-body mobility, I decided to dabble in several different projects atypical of my personality (which I would have never committed to before my disability, by the way).
I enrolled in improv comedy classes for six months, experimented with music on the piano, found the courage to pick up a guitar again and inadvertently stumbled back into art projects (based on a friend's request to create a portrait of her daughter). I was so afraid that I wasn't able to return to my original self, that I subconsciously avoided the hobbies I enjoyed most.
The most amazing discovery I've made since that life-changing moment five years ago, however, was this:
I am unique, creative, and much more valuable than I ever imagined myself to be.
Within the same year of self-rehab for my stroke, I began teaching art classes to those with special needs (autistic children, elderly folks, foreign exchange students, etc.) and found that I instinctively possessed the innate ability to paint and create breathtaking work that could inspire people of all ages.
This led to the path I walk now... exclusive focus on design, creative thinking, extracting the creative side from others, and touching lives in indelible ways.
Today I am proud to profess that I have recovered 95% of the function on the left side of my body, although my left eye is sometimes notorious for taking on a life of its own (that's the PC way I like to refer to being "cross-eyed")...
What's bittersweet, though, is that I now have a new-found passion for art and life...Having that stroke five years ago forced me to come out of my shell... and now I am extremely enthusiastic about sharing my blessing of creative expression with others.
There's nothing more gratifying to me today than to hear that I've awoken the creative spirit in others, just as I have undergone myself.
So whether it's teaching art classes, painting super hero murals on walls for children's rooms at home, sculpting masterpieces from the most unconventional materials (like CDs or electrical wire, etc.), I know now that limitations (such as those I've experienced) can actually divulge your extraordinary gifts, and ultimately lead you to true calling in life.
So as the cliche goes... while beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, so can one's true talents.
Here's to the gift of sharing...especially when it comes to the edifying talents you never knew you had.
~Jeremy
JeremyAdamsArt.com (web site COMING SOON)
