We were lucky to catch up with Atom St. George recently and have shared our conversation below.

Atom , appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path shortly after getting diagnosed with MS in 2010. After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 24, I quit my job and started making art daily. I’ve always felt compelled and drawn to the art world.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started taking art seriously after a friend’s suicide on my 21st Birthday while he was stationed in Iraq in the Marines. Jason was an artist himself, and he enjoyed these silly, simple character doodles I made at the time, so after his death, I began to draw more seriously. Fast forward to age 24, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which caused me to quit my aerospace ultrasonic inspector job and sign up for art classes at Otis, where I would learn to paint.

I make and sell surreal acrylic paintings and prints created with numb and tingly hands from my MS. Because of this, I need to paint with two hands to control my brush. I have also lost the ability to walk, so I use my disability scooter as my painting chair.

Despite my progressive illness, I am most proud of how much my paintings have evolved in the last 12 years. My paintings are getting increasingly more imaginative and detailed while, at the same time, my disease is progressing. Every day when I wake up, I am grateful my hands still have control to make paintings on the level I do. I aim to hone my craft to the best of my ability while I possess the capacity to do so. A source of equal pride for me is the collaboration of a book encompassing paintings and poems, with my fellow MS warrior poet Robert Gillett, known as Beneath The Tracksuit, who resides in the UK.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Following my initial MS flare-up, my hands experienced profound weakness, numbness, and tingling, rendering me unable to hold a pencil. Nonetheless, I enrolled in art classes, holding onto the hope that my MS would enter remission and that I’d gradually regain sensation and strength — a hope that materialized. The timing felt almost serendipitous. While my hands still retain a tingling numbness, I’ve managed to regain enough control to create the art I’m passionate about, and ultimately, that’s what truly counts.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

If you have the opportunity to purchase a painting or print of an inspiring artwork, seize it. Not only does artwork hold an exponentially greater allure when experienced in person rather than through a screen, but you’re also reciprocally fueling the artist’s inspiration to continue their creative journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/atomstgeorge
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/atomsnightmare27
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AtomsArtwork

Image Credits
Atom St. George