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Last night I had a fantastic experience, which dovetailed perfectly with my #ArtDespitePain initiative. Art Despite Pain has two main goals; to use my artwork to raise awareness of chronic pain, and to use my art-practice to encourage others living with persistent pain to try creative activities as a form of brain-plasticity or neuroplasticity tool for their own pain.
After all, I began learning to paint in 2021 as a form of DIY (do it yourself) neuroplasticity training to help me manage my multiple symptoms from a rare disease. CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) has resulted in several different types of severe pain in my right hand and arm, along with a Mild Cognitive Impairment, occasional full-body autoimmune fatigue, and a list of other autoimmune and neuro-inflammatory symptoms.
I'd read research, at the time, showing benefits of art-learning and art-appreciation - for both pain and cognitive issues - so decided to attempt a wish I'd harboured since childhood, to learn to paint with watercolours.
Not only did painting push my pain symptoms more into the background, by distracting my brain from my pain, but I also absolutely fell in love with watercolours!
Yesterday evening, I participated in "PAINtalks 2024" - as a co-presenter with neuroscientist Dr. Zoha Deldar - at The Gesù theatre-space in Montréal.

This free TEDtalk-style event, open to the public and featuring ten different talks about cutting-edge pain research, was organized by the Quebec Network of Junior Pain Investigators (QNJPI).
It was an in-person sho, with live-streaming, and about 900 people watching live! The event was aso recorded, so there will be many more views once it has been posted on the QNJPI YouTube channel (I'll  post a link when it's ready to view).

This was the 9th edition of PAINtalks, held in different locations in Québec each year, so I've attended several times in person when it has been presented in Montréal - as a member of the audience.
It's a completely different experience to be one of the presenters, and to see how much backstage and behind-the-scenes effort, planning, preparation, and thought/thoughtfulness is put into this by the PAINtalks team - all volunteers who have their own healthcare and/or pain science studies or research to do!
The presenters and the Master of Ceremonies (performing artist Laurence Jalbert, who also lives with chronic pain), get all the credit at the event...

But the amount of volunteer work done by the PAINtalks team was absolutely incredible.
So this morning, I'm sending each and every one of a them a giant thank you.
They were absolutely amazing, and put together a fabulous show - which informed so many others of the incredible research being done for people living with chronic pain, or to prevent it.
Thank you, PAINtalks team!