Having your cake and eating it too
I shared my previous art project two years ago during the fall semester of my senior year -- a time during which I relied on art to chew through long, paralyzing bouts of anxiety. I haven't created any art on a similar scale until this past winter/spring (2023).
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A lot happened during this gap. I graduated and moved up to the Bay Area to learn as much as I can about Parkinson's disease and clinical research. Working a job with 9-5ish hours has given me the time and space to seek treatment for an eating disorder I developed during college. Perhaps the greatest change I've noticed is that I finally feel at peace. The sweep of colored pencil you see above embodies just that: this piece was entirely motivated by my happiness in the present and readiness for the future. I don't remember the last time I've felt this way.
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My dreams have turned into my reality. Everything I had worked so hard for came to fruition as soon as I moved. After a few years of researching the neurological benefits of the creative process at USC, I launched Stanford's first art therapy program for Parkinson's disease patients, with support from the American Parkinson's Disease Association. (Also big thank you to Dr. Christine Hirabayashi)
I am so incredibly grateful to be a part of research projects that shape the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative dementias. I'm even more blessed to be mentored within such a supportive, empowering space that is the Poston Lab. I work alongside the most intelligent group of award-winning women who have made impactful contributions to neuroscience.
My family within the lab has encouraged and inspired me to lead projects of my own, proudly taking up space at the intersection of art and science to contribute to the health and well-being of my community.
I'd be lying if I said that I haven't had a breakdown (or two or ten) because I miss my old LA: my family, my friends, or just the way I knew the city like the back of my hand. I've slipped from those I love back home. I've lost a connection I thought I'd never lose. Growing pains? Still can't tell yet.
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I work with individuals who have been diagnosed with dementia or cognitive impairment (due Lewy body disease, Alzheimer's disease, and a range of various pathologies). Serving participants living with dementia -- and their invaluable care partners -- has taught me how to lead life with grace and resilience, even when gathering an ounce of optimism seems impossible.
The pressure to be perfectly extraordinary is still overwhelming -- the grass is always greener on the other side, but this grass is pretty damn green. After all, happiness is where you are now, or nowhere at all.
This piece is drawn on top of a poster presentation created by Carla Abdelnour, MD, PhD. Her Plasma pTau181 paper was the first project I worked on when joining the Poston Lab. Under her guidance, I learned about associations between the neuropsychological, clinical, and genetic factors which influence cognitive and motor symptoms experienced by patients on Lewy body disease spectrum.
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Click here to learn about the lab's Lewy body disease and Alzheimer's disease (co-pathology) research.
