After a long break, I am happy to be resuming our twice-monthly guest interviews. This week we are meeting Jorja who has been living with Depression, Anxiety and ME/CFS for many years. This interview is part of an ongoing series where we interview people from around the world who share how chronic illness or disability has changed their lives and how they continue to find reasons to celebrate anyway. 

I hope this series will inform and encourage you and maybe help you feel less alone if you're dealing with something similar. If you'd like to be featured too, click here.

​I was blown away by all the incredible critters you fabulous artists have created this week! It was week 3 and the prompt was Critters In The Garden. We had paintings, some pencil and ink drawings and we even had clay sculptures! Your creativity is so inspiring. I love seeing how each person interprets the prompts in their own way.

In this post I'll be sharing my ​process, supplies and throughts behind the painting I made. To see the art created by all the other participants, scroll down to the end of this page, then just click on any of the thumbnails to ​open the original post by the artist. Enjoy!

​It's week 2 of the Chronically Hopeful 52-week art project! This past week ​the theme was ​Snowy Scenes and I have ​loved seeing all the winter wonderlands you have created!

​If you missed the ​previous weeks, you're still welcome to jump in at any point and join us on this arty adventure! This is a no pressure project, not a stressful challenge, so take your time and enjoy the process when you can and just enjoy the gallery when you can't participate yourself.

In this post I'll be sharing the piece I made for this week's prompt and discuss the ​process and supplies behind it. At the bottom of this page is a gallery of all the latest pieces created by the other participants who are joining in from around the globe. Simply click on any of the thumbnails to be taken to the original piece where, in most cases, you'll find a description by the artist.

The Chronically Hopeful 52-week art project has finally started. I have been so excited to get it off the ground since I came up with the idea and ​now it's here! This week ​the theme was patterns in shades of blue and I have been blown away by the unique ways that each person has interpreted that prompt!

One of my goals for 2020 is to create more art. In order to reach that goal, I've created the Chronically Hopeful 52-Week Art Project​.​ It consists of 52 prompts, one for each week of the year, to ​guide my creativity, keeping me focused​ and inspired.

Having a fluctuating chronic illness means that I'm not always able to be creative, so I thought one prompt per week would be easier to manage than the one prompt per day ​that many other challenges ​provide. I cannot wait to get started - here's to a whole year of colourful art!