In Stillness We Still Grow

‘In Stillness We Still Grow’ Words and Image © 2018 by Shiloh Moore 7×7’ Watercolour and Pitt Pen on Paper Words Hand Lettered using Procreate on the iPad Pro with Apple Pen (Progress Video Below)

(Products from this image can be bought here on Redbubble)

I wrote, painted and hand lettered ‘In Stillness We Still Grow’ as a commentary on the value of life lived with long-term chronic illness. (I have lived mostly housebound, sometimes totally bedbound with severe ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia Syndrome for 28 years now since childhood.)

Society often does not put much value on life with chronic illness. We fear it, and sometimes don’t believe life could be worth living. If we can’t ‘do’, what purpose do we have?

I want to say life can still be worthwhile, no matter how you are forced to live.   Even housebound or bedridden, with no events or achievements to mark our time, ‘In Stillness We Still Grow.’ We are valuable members of society even if we can no longer ‘contribute’ in recognised ways.

Similarly, it’s in the ‘rest and refresh’ of stillness that helps healthy people truly grow the most. You don’t only achieve and succeed when you’re busy. Sometimes it’s the quiet moments in which you grow the most.

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This artwork was created with the floral wreath drawn using Pitt Pen and Watercolour on paper, scanned, then hand lettered using the Procreate app on the iPad Pro with Apple Pen. This is my first attempt at hand lettering, after 6 months of slowly learning and practicing.

I was inspired by a beautiful post on my favourite Facebook Blog ‘Wonky Pillow’ Feb 13 2017.  In it was a cartoon of a plant.  One picture of a plant was captioned ‘NOT MOVING….’ the next picture of the same plant was captioned ‘BUT GROWING.’  I searched for the original artwork and found it here: from ‘The Heartbreak Series’ by Andrea Paz Y Mino on Instagram @theheartbreakseries  or on Tumblr theheartbreakseries.tumblr.com

I was so moved by it, and immediately I wrote the words ‘In Stillness We Still Grow.’  It took exactly one year to learn to do lettering well enough to bring it into fruition, and to verbalise what it means to me!

– Shiloh Moore, 13/2/18

‘In Stillness We Still Grow’ © 2018 by Shiloh Moore Progress Video using Procreate:

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