“I used to be an artist before my injury, so it’s been a process to learn how to do the things I used to be able to do … because my hand shakes. But it is very rewarding to see the finished piece.”
Transcript
John Riddle: I used to be an artist before my injury, so it’s been a process to learn how to do the things I used to be able to do.
Host: This is Keep Moving Forward.
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John Riddle: My name is John Riddle, and I got an anoxic brain injury in 2007. I have poor balance and coordination from it. I'm in a manual wheelchair. I'm an artist. Lately I've been doing images from tattoos, actually, and it’s been a lot of fun.
As an artist, I do feel like I'm perceived differently. Sometimes I get people that say, “Oh, that’s so great,” kind of feeling like they should baby me. Which I don't appreciate, but at the same time, it just feels like it's very hard to accomplish anything.
Before, I could draw very intricate pieces with ease. It’s much different for me now because my hand shakes. I really got to focus just to even draw a straight line. I do get frustrated along the way, but it is very rewarding to see the finished piece when I'm done. That just makes it worthwhile for me.
Host: Keep Moving Forward is supported by The Minnesota Council on Disability, The Minnesota Humanities Center and the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund, online at Ampers.org.