This first blog post is going to be a way to put my ideas down, which may or may not be used to make myself accountable later on, as I slowly build this business for this community that I know exists, but also acknowledge can't meet up together all at the same time due to our different underlying conditions only allowing us to feel good enough to leave the house on different days, making it difficult to meet up to come together for a discussion with the proper channels to bring action to these systemic issues which I will highlight later on.
Chronic Illness is something that has always been associated with older folks, which makes it harder for youths (defined as 15-35 year olds in Singapore) to get diagnosed with illnesses typically presented with just pain or mild to moderate inflammation symptoms. Many chronically ill youths also tend to complain about the lack of acknowledgement of the severity of their condition and pain levels, often resulting from pain management not being taken seriously. Even with a diagnosis, youth patients are not believed when complaints of high pain levels come up, often shifting the blame to the patients themselves for not following protocol or to something unrelated.
That being said, pain is a huge part of us chronically ill youths' lives. Some of us can't become disabled by the pain itself as it has come to an unbearable level, leading us to use a wheelchair or other forms of mobility aids, whilst others may have to adjust their activities of daily living, which may not be suitable for working long hours. In a country like Singapore, where efficiency in the workplace is highly praised and falling sick is not appreciated in the slightest sense, getting hired part-time as a chronically ill youth is a chance rarer than a blue moon, much less full-time. This means our financial security is very weak, and we can be abused financially by our caregiver or partners if we are unlucky at any given point in time.
A lot of chronically ill youths turn to art for a few reasons:
- It allows one to express their pain in a healthier manner
- Repetitive movement is therapeutic to the mind and body
- Art can be sold: Digitally or physically
That's where our business comes in. We help our community by providing space and high-quality materials at low, affordable costs, so they have less to worry about while they focus on building towards their financial freedom. We don't just limit to our own community. We also bring in the abled community to learn from the chronically ill youth community artists and build connections.
I'm still not sure exactly how I'm going to do it, but I have 2 months to figure things out. Until then, I'm going to write down my progress here.
Thanks for tuning in tonight. Tata <3