September 2012
The Artistry of Steve Savitz
Steve Savitz...My StoryLike many "Lymies", my story doesn't begin with one knockout punch. It's hard to say whether my chronic Lyme progressed from early childhood tick bites that went untreated or whether I've had co-infections from multiple bites over the years.
At age 20, I developed severe, migratory arthritis which clueless rheumatologists diagnosed as "incomplete Reiters Syndrome" because “it didn't match” their full criteria. I never told my friends about the severe pain. I just clenched my teeth when I walked and became an Ibuprofen junkie. Thirteen painful years later, it magically went away when I eliminated gluten, dairy and sugar (which I still avoid like the plague). |
|
After graduating film school, despite bouts of pain and fatigue, I produced a prodigious amount of oil paintings after work each day. It was liberating to be able to express myself in a volcanic storm of colors and imbue everything with my gallows sense of humor. Unfortunately, using my apartment as an art studio, subjected me to hazardous levels of paint and solvent fumes daily for over ten years. I was never told in art classes that paints contained heavy metals like cadmium which get stored in the tissue, bones and fat (the brain is 60% fat).
In 1997, I knew my health was gradually slipping but had no idea that a year later, I would develop acute neurological problems: nerve pain, memory problems and "brain fog", as well as pain syndromes, blinding migraines, hormonal imbalances and wasting. I had no choice but to "drop out of life" and devote my time to health research. The scores of doctors I visited would get angry and frustrated if I had more than one symptom; these myopic specialists could only focus on one body part at a time.
In 1997, I knew my health was gradually slipping but had no idea that a year later, I would develop acute neurological problems: nerve pain, memory problems and "brain fog", as well as pain syndromes, blinding migraines, hormonal imbalances and wasting. I had no choice but to "drop out of life" and devote my time to health research. The scores of doctors I visited would get angry and frustrated if I had more than one symptom; these myopic specialists could only focus on one body part at a time.
|
I must say, having your life fractured to smithereens by Lyme makes all of your old worries seem incredibly trite. One day I found myself staring at my paintings, wondering how someone could have painted them. They seemed so foreign to me. I had lost my sense of self.
Meanwhile, my immune system had become so traumatized from this onslaught, that I started to have violent reactions to medications and chemicals. I could no longer be around paint! I had grown so skeptical of doctors, that when a Lyme specialist finally diagnosed me with "tick borne disease", I shrugged it off with disbelief; I assumed he was just another medial profiteer trying to exploit my life savings. My Lyme tests had always come back negative. Little did I know back in 2001 that a raging controversy in the medical community was polarizing the mainstream medical mafia against the Lyme-literate doctors who were working in the field using specialized testing and treatment. It took another four years before my Lyme tests started coming back positive. Since then, I've received treatment via sporadic IV antibiotics. |
Insurance covers nothing; these corporate leviathans conveniently side with the mainstream medical naysayers who studied Lyme for a full five minutes in medical school back in 1979.
As for my art, I now use non-toxic mediums (mostly drawing) and have become disciplined at photography. I also channel my creativity into guitar and songwriting as well as screenwriting. I'm very thankful that I have multiple artistic abilities and the motivation to express truth.
Through art and writing, my sense of self was regained. Hopefully I can inspire others to explore the limitless creative engine we're all empowered with. It's FREE.
As for my art, I now use non-toxic mediums (mostly drawing) and have become disciplined at photography. I also channel my creativity into guitar and songwriting as well as screenwriting. I'm very thankful that I have multiple artistic abilities and the motivation to express truth.
Through art and writing, my sense of self was regained. Hopefully I can inspire others to explore the limitless creative engine we're all empowered with. It's FREE.
Gallery
Butterfly A
I'm So Happy For You
Young Woman Seated
Crutch, Thunderbird
Sorry I Cared
Cops
Need a Dose
Orchestra
Central Park with Boat |
Parks, Trees and Stuff
Natasha
Lonely Women Through Lonely Eyes
Model and Chromosomes
Insulation
Too Late the Angels
The Ghost of Want
Numb
Girl with Rat
Things are Better Now
Butterfly |
Support SteveAll the art you see here is for sale, and there is much more to see on his website, facebook and Pinterest. You can ~ Email, follow, friend, and Pin his work ~ he would love to hear from all of you!
|
Contacts |
Tweet About Us!
Click on the Twitter icon to tweet about Inanna House, Artist of the Month, and Steve ~ The more awareness the better!
