Many of you know that I am an occupational therapist. I used to teach a class at conferences called Creating Without Pain which was about ergonomics for fiber creatives. It has been a long time since I offered that class but a wonderful wellness practitioner reminded me of the importance of that knowledge recently.
Missy Graff Ballone runs a business called Wellness for Makers. Missy is a yoga instructor and massage therapist along with a maker. She has a lot of wisdom about how we use our bodies and how we can keep ourselves healthy and pain-free as we make, whatever our creative field is. She works with all kinds of people who work with their hands and bodies to create art and I have found her workshops and podcast so valuable in my own work and life.
Missy interviewed me for her podcast, Wellness for Makers, and that episode went live this week. You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts, or if you’re not a podcast listener, you can just listen online by clicking the button below. It is episode 51 and is called “Weaving Occupational Therapy Into Art with Rebecca Mezoff.”
I wanted to highlight a few of the things we talked about in the interview. First of all, take a look at Missy’s Wellness for Makers courses and workshops. I think she would be an excellent presenter for a guild. I’ve taken a few of her live online workshops and fine her easy to relate to and full of excellent tips and knowledge. If nothing else, listen to her podcast! You’ll gain some valuable tips for how to take care of your body and feel better every day.
Secondly, the book I referred to in the interview is Knitting Comfortably by Carson Demers. I reviewed the book on my blog HERE. I continue to recommend this book to anyone who makes things, and especially anyone working in fiber. It is a self-published book so the very best place to get it is on Carson’s website HERE. I have also seen it carried by many yarn shops around the world, so you should be able to find a copy in your country or Carson will mail one to you from the USA. This book is well worth the price. Carson is a physical therapist who specializes in ergonomics. He is an avid knitter, spinner, and fiber artist, and he teaches extensively in those mediums. He didn’t pay me to say this, I’m so just so grateful he wrote this very important book.
Lastly, don’t glide on by the aches and pains you’re feeling in your body. Pay attention to them and see if you can find some practices that relieve those pains. As I say in the podcast, take the time to stop and ask yourself why something is hurting. Do you know of something that can help it or is there a large enough problem you need some professional help? Practitioners like Missy Graff Ballone can be a first step though if you have an acute problem, you should probably start with your general practitioner who can perhaps give you a referral to a physical or occupational therapist. And if your pain is from your making practices, if that OT or PT doesn’t ask you to bring your tools in with you to your second appointment, maybe bring them anyway. It is important for them to understand the cause of the pain and maybe what sorts of repetitive strain injuries you’re causing with your particular art practice.
Often small changes in the way we manage our bodies can make a huge difference and you can likely make a lot of those changes without professional help which is where resources like the Wellness for Makers podcast and Carson Demers’ book are helpful.
One ergonomic solution a couple weaving friends of mine use is a big therapy ball at the loom. This is me trying out LaDonna Mayer’s loom in her studio.
What questions or issues have you had in regard to your body and how you use it for making things? Please let me know in the comments!
Disclaimer: Though I am a registered occupational therapist, I do not know you and am not a diagnostician. Nothing I say in this blog should be taken as advice to treat your particular problem. Please consult a professional near you to address your specific problem if it is interfering with your wellness.