I’ve posted about my osteoarthritis over the past couple of years on my social media platforms, but in case it didn’t reach you, here’s an update. In 2018, I began noticing some pain in my left thumb joint, which began to occasionally “snap” with a sharp pain when I used it certain ways. I tried a few different practitioners, including acupuncture and a pain specialist who had me doing strenuous hand exercises, saying I needed to increase muscle strength around the injury in order to better support the joint.
Finally in 2020, I saw an orthopedist, and received a diagnosis that I wasn’t prepared for: Osteoarthritis. What this means is that the joint has been deteriorating, and it can only get worse. The missing cartilage won’t regenerate. After two more years of pain, I had a cortisone injection, which was one of the most painful things I’ve experienced because they shove a thick needle in between the bones, wiggling it deep into the joint, then slowly squirt in a pocket of liquid. It goes numb for a little while, then more pain for a day or so. And then relief sets in and my hand becomes usable again. The first time, it lasted about 9 months or so. Then about 6 months. And this past spring, the effect wore off sooner and I was told cortisone was no longer an option, the joint is subducting, and the next step is surgery.
I was (and am) still trying to finish up this big commission, so that was not good news. Once the cortisone started wearing off, the pain came back worse than before. Not only that, but my right hand is starting to hurt as well, possibly from compensating.
So right now, I have a project to complete and my client and the construction team are all being super supportive. But I need to get it entirely finished by September. On September 10, I’m traveling to Michigan to visit my mom for a week, then I teach at the SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) conference in Detroit. When I get home, I’ll have almost 2 weeks before I fly to Santa Barbara to film my 6th course for Mosaic Arts Online. Right after I return, I’ll be having hand surgery to reconstruct the joint.
My maternal uncle had the same surgery years ago. He reports that it went very well and his hand has been just fine ever since, so I feel optimistic. For the first 6 weeks or so, I will be in a cast. Then there will be about a month of no gripping whatsoever. And then I should be able to slowly start using the hand, and within 3 months or so, I should be back to work.
So, now that I’ve come to grips with the situation (so to speak!) I am looking forward to the time off, which I intend to use to 1. organize things I can sort with one hand, including the random drawers full of stuff in my house 2. develop more instructional content for the paid subscription 3. read and write 4. draw and paint. I should also be moving into my garden studio during this time, so I’ll be getting that set up as well as I can.
My hand issues have been the main reason behind this Patreon idea. It was a wake-up call that I can’t put as much stress on my body as I age, and I can’t rely fully on commission work to earn a living. If I lived in an urban setting, I would hold open studios and ongoing workshops, but logistics makes that difficult. Since 2020, I have learned to use the internet to connect with fellow and aspiring mosaic artists, whether for sharing progress reports, teaching online workshops or leading community projects.
I hope this puts my efforts to establish a subscription model into context. If this works, it can create so many opportunities. With steady financial support, I can offer mosaic retreats on occasion, online workshops and tutorials, and lead community projects without barriers to participation.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, please send them to jennifer@jkmosaic.com. *I’m posting more on Patreon these days. It’s free to join if you want to check it out: https://patreon.com/jkmosaic?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink I really like it because it feels more intimate than posting into the void. It’s a place where members can respond, interact, and participate.
