Germaine Hypher has lived with chronic, disabling M.E. and fibromyalgia since she was eight years old, and creativity has helped her thrive. Crafting a Path Through Illness is a ‘how-to’ and a ‘why-to’ for living creatively with chronic illness.
Chronic illness is, by definition, ongoing. As a sufferer of chronic illness, Germaine Hypher knows how important it is to live a fulfilled life amidst symptoms. In Crafting a Path Through Illness, she details how creative expression can help people with chronic illness redefine their identity and the positive effects it can have on both physical and mental health. In addition to this, Crafting a Path Through Illness shows us what a valuable impact the experiences of the chronically ill can have on creative output and the wider community.
Delving into history, Crafting a Path Through Illness describes how the arts have been used alongside medicine over the centuries, exploring the work of other disabled and chronically ill artists and crafters. Furthermore, it’s a guide on how to connect creatively with the space around us and the wider world when isolated by illness. With tools and hacks on how to make creativity more accessible, and suggested ideas and projects, this is an easy-to-use, encouraging, and inspirational self-help book for anyone suffering from illness.
Germaine Hypher has been disabled by chronic illness and fatigue since childhood and has found arts and crafts to be her constant best allies, teaching her to live a well-adapted, meaningful, and joyful life while predominantly housebound and often bed-based. Her writing experience has included providing content for the eco store Natural Collection, founding and editing a nature-crafts magazine for seven years, contributions to various anthologies, winning the Hastings National Poetry Competition (2005), and winning a grant from The Literary Consultancy. She is the author of A Vegetarian Family’s World Tour, Over the Kitchen Table, and Sunshine in a Bag. Crafting a Path Through Illness is her latest book.
