Painting Through Recovery: My Story of Brain Injury and Finding My Way Back to Art

In 2003, my life changed very suddenly when I suffered a brain injury caused by a cerebral bleed. I suddenly lost the use of the right side of my body and became completely hemiplegic on that side.

Thankfully, my initial recovery was surprisingly quick. After just ten days in hospital, I was able to walk out with the help of a walking stick, and much of my movement returned relatively quickly. However, although I was able to regain much of my physical independence, the effects of my brain injury did not simply disappear. I was left with epilepsy (fortunately controlled by medication), numbness on my right side and fatigue, all of which have continued to present challenges over the years.

“Will I paint again?”

One of the things I remember thinking about most while I was in hospital was whether I would ever be able to paint again.

Painting had always been an important part of my life and had developed into my career as an artist and leading me to paint commissioned portraits of horses, dogs and cats.

So, for me, the thought that I might have lost my ability to paint was particularly frightening.

I had been told during rehabilitation to use my left hand to help lift my right arm and practise everyday activities such as brushing my hair, writing and feeding myself. The idea was that these exercises could help the brain establish new pathways. I remember thinking that if I was going to work on regaining movement and control, surely painting could become part of that process too.

And so, when I got home, I picked up my pencil and began drawing again.

The first drawing I attempted was extremely wobbly. My hand was no longer as steady as it had been before, and it would have been very easy to become discouraged. Instead, I simply kept going.

Learning to paint differently

I still have some of the effects of my brain injury today. Drawing a straight line freehand isn't as easy as it once was, particularly when I'm trying to achieve fine detail. I use a maulstick, a traditional artist's tool with a padded end, to support my hand when I need greater stability.

Before my brain injury, I had a very steady hand, so this was a significant change for me.

But perhaps one of the most important things I learned was that having to adapt doesn't necessarily mean having to give something up.

I found ways of working around the difficulties rather than allowing them to stop me.

Over time, painting became part of my recovery as well as my career.

From recovery back to a career in art

What began as a determination to see whether I could paint again gradually developed into something much bigger.

After a time when I felt ready I started to promote my professional business again creating commissioned animal portraits. I also joined the Society of Equestrian Artists and started exhibiting with them. I was promoted to Associate member in 2021 which I am extremely proud of.

As always horses are a particular passion of mine. I especially enjoy painting horses in movement, with dressage horses being among my favourite subjects. There is something incredibly beautiful about the shapes they create through movement, and I love trying to capture that sense of grace, energy and individuality in my paintings.

Painting has also remained something I find deeply therapeutic. I usually listen to music while I work, and there is something very special about becoming absorbed in the process of creating a painting.

Looking back

When I look back now, I think one of the most important parts of my recovery was refusing to accept that the things I loved were necessarily lost to me.

My brain injury changed the way I paint, and there are still things I have to adapt to, but it didn't take away my creativity.

That first wobbly drawing was a small beginning, but it represented something much bigger: I was finding my way back to something that mattered enormously to me.

I am incredibly grateful that I was able to continue painting and that, over the years, it continued to develop from a hobby into a career that I love.

My story was shared by Headway UK as part of its Brain Injury and Me series, in its section exploring creative expression after brain injury. Read my Story on Headway UK.

That wasn't the end of my health issues, in 2024 I was diagnosed with Colon Cancer and had surgery. It took a while to get back to painting but I am now fully immersed

I hope that sharing my experience may encourage someone else who is facing their own recovery to keep trying, even when something feels difficult or different from how it used to be.

Sometimes you don't get back to exactly where you were before.

Sometimes you find a different way forward.

And sometimes, that new path can lead somewhere you never expected.