Nancy Husari

My first love in the field of visual arts were comics. Humor has always been a way for me to cope with adversity. The combination of words and pictures has been a perfect match for me to express my humor to the world. I’ve also had many other creative pursuits. One of them is music, specifically the flute. I was even a music major for a while, but I found that as time went on, and I was busy with other things, I would give up music and then come back to it when it piqued my interest. Drawing, on the other hand, has been something I do regularly even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. I did not major in art, but I took many drawing classes, so my drafting skills became quite good. Fast-forward to my Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2014. My visual art changed. I was doing more abstract art that seemed to come from a subconscious source. Many years passed with Parkinson’s as my companion and I lost many abilities. I can no longer play the flute because my dexterity and strength are lacking, and my drafting skills are not as good as they once were. I am able to welcome the changes in my art because even though I have lost some accuracy in my draftsmanship, I have gained access to subconscious realms that produce a different kind of art. Drawing, is still an almost daily habit. Now,twelve years into my PD diagnosis. I have lost the ability to do many things that I love, but drawing and painting are things that I can do. The advice I would give to the me in the early years of Parkinson’s is to prioritize my interests and creative pursuits because I will probably be able to keep the activities that I do every day much longer and hopefully indefinitely.