My own therapy

Button artwork is a creative outlet and a source of joy for me.

by Jane Vorndran

Aslan

In 2014, I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Before I was diagnosed, I would fall down frequently (twice down the stairs), but it wasn’t until a bicycle accident that I finally asked about it.

After attacking a perfectly defenseless bumper on a parked truck, I was sent to the emergency room with a concussion and an arm that was broken in four places.

The doctors diagnosed me with MS shortly after the accident. As my fine motor skills began to slowly deteriorate, and after my insurance carrier denied occupational therapy, I decided to come up with my own therapy. Since two of my four children have special needs, I had seen different therapies, which inspired me to start researching ways to help my own condition.

I started looking at Pinterest to see what kinds of things were being made. My mother and grandmother were both artists who influenced my sisters and me to be creative. Certainly on Pinterest there would be something that required fine motor skills to complete. I was drawn to the things made with buttons. So many things could be done with them. I started with my mom’s button box, and so it began.

Alex

When I finished my first button artwork, I was too afraid to look at it, since it looked like gibberish up close to me. I asked my husband whether it looked like anything. He simply put it on the chair, took a step back and encouraged me to look at it. I was excited and relieved when I looked at it for the first time because my 60 hours of work had paid off. It was better than I ever would have dreamed. And so, I continued.

I call my artwork Button MosaicS (the “M” and “S” capitalized for obvious reasons). Working on it has relieved me from my stresses and allowed me to have a creative outlet while working on my fine motor skills. To my joy, I have been able to share my art and create pieces of artwork for the people around me.

Jane Vorndran lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with her husband, Mike, and their Newfoundland dog and three cats. They have four grown children.