We were lucky to catch up with Brandi Slovinsky recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brandi , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Currently the most meaningful project I have worked on are the paintings that I create for myself. Let me explain, I am a self taught -part time artist. I have painted for many years done lots of shows and sold many paintings though out those years I used to paint subjects that would sell. For years I thought the goal was to paint and sell my work. As time went on I realized the reason I enjoy painting so much is because, it quite simply it stops the noise around me, it’s my happy place it’s where i can just get lost for hours in a painting. I stopped painting for others or what i thought would sell and just let the paint brush talk and now my work is more meaningful to me. The paintings I create now are for my soul to speak.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) back in 2020. MS can be misleading as its symptoms are often felt, but not visibly apparent. The symptoms can fluctuate from day to day and differ greatly from person to person. Coping with a chronic disease that remains invisible to others, but is constantly felt, can be extremely draining. For me, as a 36 year-old woman, who is a wife, momma, full-time worker, and a part time artist, it is a daily battle with exhaustion due to my body fighting itself. It manifests as weakness, numbness, tingling, memory loss, and vertigo. However, this experience has also helped shape me into the strong woman I am today. It has taught me to appreciate the blessings in my life and has provided me with a newfound clarity. It has served as a catalyst to reignite my passion for art, which I lost in 2020. Thanks to treatment, I am now able to create again. My work I create is more meaningful than ever now. While MS has certainly brought negative effects into my life, the positive aspects far outweigh them. This is my new reality, and I have learned to accept it without hesitation.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I’ve always had a passion for art. I have been painting for over 10 years. With my MS, I get tremors in my hand. Being an artist, not having control of your hands, and having your skills slowly taken from you is beyond frustrating. But the help and support of my loving husband he has helped and encouraged me to find new ways to create and work with different brushes or doing digital art to keep my passion alive. I’ve started an MS series to help bring awareness to MS.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My painting habits and style has changed over the past 6 years Due to being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis back in 2020. Now I have made it my mission to bring awareness to MS thru my art. To showcase how MS affects me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://CrookedbyMS.redbubble.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crookedbarnbybrandi?igsh=azhnYnY2NDhjOHdl&utm_source=qr
