I love this animation, 'Thought of You', by Ryan Woodward.  These are ways design and art can influence, whether it is small or grand scale.  Some where it matters to someone. 

Animation is a very respectable form of art. Most people watch them, but probably never see or understand the amount of work that goes into one.

Animation is the rapid display of sequence of images of 2D or 3D artwork in order to create an illusion of movement.  I have never done animation, but can certainly appreciate the vision and the amount of work that goes into the art.  It's creative, but extremely laborious. You really have to love it to do it. An estimated time frame for an animation is one month's work for every minute.  

Ryan said he worked 20 hours per week for 3 months and that does not include the time for the  dance choreography.  In "Thought of You' it is a dance and the forms are constantly changing which I would think makes it harder to keep up with your shapes when drawing them out. But, 'Thought of You' looks very fluid and beautiful and a story is told with just a few lines.  I like design that is seemingly simple...it's like nature. Nature's design is seemingly simple, yet complex underneath.  Simple design cuts out all the unnecessary, featuring and staying true to its simplicity. It's not easy to design simply. We inherently want to overly complicate.

'Thought of You' is 3 min 3 sec= 180 sec X 24 drawings per second= 4, 440 drawings 

I've watched this video alot! It struck me right away, but probably not the way the artist originally intended. It is a love story/loss between a couple. But, for me I related it to my body. As my body progresses I am obsessed with movement and I closely observe others and they way they move.

Everyone has a different sound and tempo and I find myself mentally assigning one to everyone I meet. This is how I remember them. I've documented their moves and filed them in my mind. I take joy in watching them move with a trailing sadness at times.  As I watched this animation I found myself studying every still image to see the artist's transitions.  

Since I am not an animator, I am curious of the art form. All design/art has a similar lineage and I like to mentally spot the connecting factors. One is communication. Communication ties everything together.  As I have been increasingly interested in illustration, for the purposes of sharing a perspective and story, animation has been peaking my interesting as well. Illustration is a tool for communication. I feel I am able to share something about me through it and animation, I feel, would be great for me to communicate movement...the way I perceive movement...the way I see myself move...the way I see how others move...Movement is beautiful.

In your body, in your mind, socially, historically, movement is continuous even in the moments we feel like we are motionless. However, good animation is highly skilled and you have to respect it. I'd love to be able to do characters of myself and show how I move...wobbly and all.

When I watched this video my  "Thought of You" is my body and the increasing loss of it. I interpreted it differently than the animation's love affair between the couple.  My version is the love between myself and my personal movement.

For the past week I have been having a hard time, probably a slight depression. I hesitated to share it here, because...well, I guess I don't want people who know me to read it and be worried. Or a potential employer to stumble on my blog and think I'm too depressing to hire but, I should be honest because of most of us have these moments of depression, doubts, instability, moments of "immobility" -- with or without a physical disability.  

It would be a disservice to pretend I don't experience depression and sadness. How can anyone benefit from someone saying they are happy all the time when they are not. This doesn't open the gates for others to see 'there are others like me'. I know I have all the right in the world to feel sad...this is not an easy journey for me and for anyone else experiencing the like.  So, yes to me this video is about the relationship with my body and even the song's lyrics contributed.

Over the past couple weeks many times I just wanna stay in bed and never come out. Put the covers over my head and not face it. 

Woke up...With an aching in my head...I lay motionless in bed...I thought of you and where you'd gone...Everything that I said I'd do...And take the time for you...The whole world is moving and I'm standing still.

I'm doing fine, though...that's the point. There are good days and there are bad and you just have to get through the bad...that's it.  

When I was driving today I had two thoughts. 1. Creativity and humor saves me 2. I am always thinking of ways I can explain HIBM and how it feels. Not for pity or for the receiver to pat their own lives on the back with exclamations of how lucky they are not to experience these struggles.

It's not for that purpose. I want to share what it is like, so it can be understood. Even though it's difficult and sucky, it is still a (valuable) perspective, and for growth's sake it helps us to absorb as many perspectives as we can.  

When I was able bodied, it wasn't possible for me to really understand what it is like to have a disability, and it was never shared with me. But, now that I experience it and face the challenges the perspective is huge and unruly.

So, how I would explain slowly progressing condition that debilitates you?  I know Point A (able to walk, run, bike ride...etc) and I know the potential Point B. (can't walk, can't run, can't bike ride, can't hold a fork, complete debilitation).

I was thinking about sudden change...a car accident or any accident that turns you into a paraplegic or quadriplegic in just a few seconds. A few seconds for the accident and a few seconds for someone to tell you your diagnosis and the self realization that your life is forever changed.

These few seconds are dragged out over years for me. It happens in extreme slow motion. It's picking at me. A picking wound. It's constant. This comparison is not for the purpose of saying one is worse than the other, because both suck, yet to explain how it feels.  

It is so slow and drags on for years. Even though I have had HIBM for 10 years, it still feels like an enigma to me. I sometimes sit and think "Wow, how did I get here? How did this happen?"

It's still surprising and even though I know beginning to experience Point B and am already at a very progressed state, I still can't imagine that in 5-10 years I may not have function of my arms, hands and fingers. The realization is always in motion.  It feels slow and fast at the same time.

I don't mean to seem like I only live in my past, but let's face it, a loss that is ongoing conjures up memories. Sometimes fleeting and sometimes they stick around for 2 weeks straight.  With that, I am feeling better today. Busy working, scheming and dreaming.

I hope you have giant dreams, too. They are worth the time.