cityscape banner 2023 by Karl Robb Facing Parkinson's and Creating Art

Facing Parkinson’s and Creating Art

2023, Awareness Month, Facing Parkinson's, Nature Photography, Parkinson's Disease 6 comments

Many people facing Parkinson’s disease find that after their diagnosis, they are drawn to creating art. I get great pleasure in creating new art, or just taking a photo of a beautiful landscape, animal, or flower. Almost every piece of art or photo on this site is my own creation. Below is a slideshow of cityscape photos that I am unveiling for Parkinson’s Awareness Month! I hope that you will watch the automatic slideshow and leave me a reply (just below the share buttons or email me at karl@karlrobb.com), share on social media, or do both! These are but a small sample of my work, and I would love feedback from my readers!

Here are a few questions I pose to you:

Does nature photography soothe or calm you?

Would you like to see more slideshows like this?

Does art inspire you?

Do you make art? If so, how do you make your art?

Here are a couple of links you may want to visit about making art and Parkinson’s disease:

My good friend Gavin sent me a link to this video yesterday. It’s called Passion, Purpose and Parkinson’s. It is very moving – I strongly encourage you to watch this video from Parkinson’s UK/Cure Parkinson’s

Young Onset Parkinson’s Network is hosting an online event on World Parkinson’s Day, April 11th @ 7pm ET titled: Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us w/ author Susan Magsamen

6 comments

  1. I am a multi-media artist, a writer, and a zine maker. I have always made art.
    When I received my diagnosis a year and a half ago, one of my fears was that I would not be able to continue making art.
    This, so far, has not proven to be true; I just, today, spent two hours in a life drawing session and will be doing art again tomorrow.
    Coming to terms with the diagnosis is a process, but I am at the stage where I believe, because of my approach to living, that I will adapt my style, my mediums, to adjust to my condition; if tremors interfere, I hope I will allow for that and loosen up my style.
    There is always the dread that my drive to create will decrease, as my energy drops, and I believe that I will be able to accept that.
    Of course each loss of a motor skill has a grieving component, but I have hope that my creative mind will find many ways to adapt and
    replace one activity or method with another.

    1. You have a wonderful outlook! I just love your drive and spirit! Thank you for sharing such an important message! Keep on creating!

      1. Thank you, Karl.
        I wish there was a group dedicated to artists with PD.
        I wrote this little poem a last year; it sort of says it all, for me.

        I Am

        I am the woman with the Dinosaur yard
        the painted rocks, the faeries,
        the studio out back where magic happens,
        sometimes.

        I am the woman who answers to Nana__
        Says, “Well…OK.” to eating Graham Crackers
        in bed, and watching Toy Story one more time.

        I am Mother, long-tested,
        hoping I made the grade.
        A battered captain
        holding back the enemy,
        calming the troops.

        I am more than Parkinson’s
        More than late-night fears,
        dreams of monsters,
        faltering gait,
        trembling hands.

        Inside me lives a fully-charged engine
        of creation,
        of joy and delight

        You may be surprised
        at all that I am.

      2. Your poem is wonderful, Elisa! Thank you for sharing this with our community! Our friend, Jacob Kidney, is the director of outreach at TheQuiver.org, a website by people with Parkinson’s to share their artwork. You may want to check it out. Here’s what Jacob says about the site: “TheQuiver.org is a website that publishes books or artwork created by people who have Parkinson’s. The purpose of thequiver.org is to inspire people with Parkinson’s to continue to pursue their creative outlets. It is through our creative expression, that we can find new pathways forward and find new solutions to problems that we thought were otherwise unsolvable. Feel free to browse the variety of artwork and books created by people with Parkinson’s. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at essentialmovements4et@gmail.com if you are an artist or author and would like us to showcase your creation for the world. At the moment, I am the Director of Outreach for The Quiver.”
        -Karl

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