The Chronic Market is delighted to welcome Hannah Mattix, creator of Hanmade Crafts, to its growing list of chronically ill creatives. In her words:
“My art has come from seasons of deep sorrow, bitterness, and anguish, which has birthed an even deeper joy. I developed ME/CFS through a ‘perfect storm’ of extreme stress and a moldy apartment, and (at the time) undiagnosed Lyme disease. For years, I was ‘normal,’ but struggled with joint pain and fatigue, which I wrote off as ‘stress’ and ‘overwork.’
Shortly after getting married, my husband woke up one morning disabled from a virus, and our lives changed overnight. The resulting stress was building up in my body, and I was getting weaker. In that time frame, we moved into an apartment that, unbeknownst to us, was full of black mold. That was the final piece that completely took away the little functioning we had left. I went from work 16 hour days, to barely being able to walk to my car without extreme pain and completely out of breath from fatigue.
As I was unable to work, we had to move in with my parents. It was a crushing time, watching my
husband in so much pain and weakness and being barely able to function, myself. I was also keenly aware of my inability to create art. When the body is in such an uproar, the creative abilities seemed to completely leave me.
I spend many days sitting on my mom’s patio, as that was all I could do. One morning, I noticed one of the few potted plants looked like it needed a bigger pot. As I couldn’t walk very much at that time, I sat on a skateboard and wheeled myself back and forth, repotting the plant. That small step grew a love for botanicals that I never knew I had. It became a joy to pour over tiny new growth and cultivate these lovely plants.
In days of deep sorrow, the beauty that is worked in the natural world and the tiny details have been reminders that I am not forgotten. There is beauty, life, and eternal promises that shout at us from a gorgeous sunset and whisper tenderly from a new rosebud.
As I’ve grown stronger, I’ve been given the opportunity to start creating art again. I discovered leathercraft and fell in love with its rich, sustainable, and surprisingly delicate features. It seemed inevitable that love for nature wove itself into this craft.
My art is not an escape, but rather a place of solace God has allowed me to experience. In times of great anguish, or days of joy, it has been a mercy to sit with these beautiful materials, striving to mimic the delicate details and rich marvels of the natural world. I want the wearer to feel as if they had gone for a walk in a garden or forest, and can adorn themselves with leaves, twigs, berries, and flowers discovered on their journey.”
Check our Hannah’s beautiful handcrafted jewelry and accessories here.
