2024 – The Year of Transformation

2024 – The Year of Transformation

Transformative years in a person’s life are always marked by significant personal growth, self-discovery, and profound change. Anyone who knows me knows that I go through transformations pretty regularly.

That is why my site emblems are always hummingbirds and dragonflies. As a child of Canada, the transformative power of these magical creatures is always within me.

Transformative phases typically occur in adolescence and early adulthood, but these phases also occur at other stages of life. My aspirations are changing once again as I find myself unable to continue working with the business I worked so hard to build over the past 15 years. It’s time, once again, for something new.

During transformative years, I’m often grappling with the challenges of identity in an increasingly ill body. It’s normal to try and understand where our place is in the universe. I’ve lost my independence with illness. I don’t have any independence left, and I’m searching once again to understand who I am and what that means for my future.

“Does a person become irrelevant when they can no longer participate in life as expected? “

I often feel that way. I question cultural expectations and focus hard on my own personal values.

The pursuit of independence, or if you’re a Joseph Campbell fan, the hero’s journey has been foremost in my mind since I first read his work 30 some odd years ago.

As individuals, we strive to establish autonomy and make choices that align with our authentic selves.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m constantly reaching for these things. I struggle against dark forces that try to keep me down, but I will not be laid low by my circumstances.

As someone who is a student of life, I’ve found that education has always played a pivotal role throughout my life.

I’m always exploring different fields of study, nourishing my curiosity, embracing new experiences, facing challenges, and learning from illness. These things have contributed to resilience and a deeper understanding of myself.

As I navigate the complexities of my transformative years, I’ve continued to lay groundwork that help carry me through profound periods of growth and grief.

It’s hard to think of illness as growth, but it is.

As we move further into illness, we learn life lessons over and over again. Grief, acceptance, anger, joy, and depression become very familiar faces in our day to day lives.

In my case, illness has once again taken me down, but it’s my decision to rise in other ways. I came out of remission in 2022 and spent the whole year in bed, unable to bend my legs or arms. I blew through four biologics trying to find something that worked. In 2023, I started stabilizing, so I flew back to Canada after being away for four years. That trip was wonderful. Being able to spend that time with my parents was priceless.

When I returned to Taiwan from Canada in July 2023, I came back to a new autoimmune diagnosis. APS is a life-threatening autoimmune blood disorder that makes me high risk for heart attacks and clots.

Then my arthritis came out of remission. My fibromyalgia and ME started getting VERY angry. Then I got shingles for the third time last year. And then I went to the dentist and got a bacterial infection. AND MY BIOLOGIC STOPPED WORKING.

Erm, 2023 tested me in ways that the Great Inflammatory Arthritis Flare of 2022 didn’t. It was a very bad year.

What do we do when life throws lemons at us?

We write about it and create!

And that is what you are seeing here in this first part of 2024. I’ve got new releases coming out in the next few months. I spent six months in bed frightened to death of blood clots taking me out and being unable to move knowing that I’ve lost every bit of independence I had.

Transformative years are often marked by significant life events such as career changes and self-discovery. And that is exactly what you are seeing here on this site.

What you’re seeing now is what a person can achieve from bed when facing unfathomable health challenges.

I’m moving on from my business and moving back into full-time freelance work and art to sustain my health costs.

Welcome to my newly designed portfolio site and shop! I’ve created an online shop for Spoonies that sells feel-good Spoonie merch such as t-shirts, journals, cards, stickers, and more.

You’re chronically iconic and everyone should know it!

Here’s an example of one of the many cool things I have in my RedBubble shop.

Enjoy! I look forward to your feedback. Stay tuned for more.

As I gear up for my 49th trip around the sun, I have other releases coming out. Visit my Chronically Iconic My Several Worlds RedBubble shop or click on the image below to purchase one of a kind cards and posters from my art shop.

Visit My Art Shop