I had the chance recently to do something that scared me. In the course of contacting the illustrious Scholars and Rogues about doing a photo feature, they asked me to write an article describing what living with Chronic Fatigue is like.
For several minutes, I thought I’d say no. I’m a photographer, not a writer, and I feared I would pale in comparison to their more experienced writers. But educating the public about, not only the mere existence of Chronic Fatigue, but the validity of it as a physical ailment is a deep passion of mine. And writing an article detailing my experience with it, accompanied by photos I’d taken on the subject seemed like a great way to serve that passion. So after several deep breaths, I said yes.
Geoff is not only an extremely talented writer himself, but he’s a great editor. He was so helpful in the writing process, as was my friend Etana. I wrote, edited, and rewrote, and then took several more even deeper breaths before I sent the article in.
I have been really struck by the response the article has gotten in the few short days it’s been up. So many other people with CFS have spoken up and said how good it felt to have their illness talked about, validated and reflected in my works and photos. I’m very grateful to everyone who has responded to the article, and everyone who helped me write it, and especially to the S&R editor Sam, who showed deep faith in me to write the article in the first place.
You can follow the link below to read the article, and feel free to browse around on S&R, they have such interesting, thought-provoking articles every day!
Art Sunday – “Trapped In Our Bodies” Coping With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Through Photography
Mythic Pictures 