More info about submitting your contribution can be found here: www.alivewithchronicillness.com/the-anthology
07.03.2026 11:23 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0@germainehypher.bsky.social
๐งต๐งถโ๐ป๐จ๐ท๐ฑ๐โโฌ๐ Author of Crafting A Path Through Illness - exploring creativity while chronically ill. Available worldwide (the book, not me ๐). Disabled by M.E & fibromyalgia since childhood. Enabled by humour & creativity. www.germainehypher.weebly.com
More info about submitting your contribution can be found here: www.alivewithchronicillness.com/the-anthology
07.03.2026 11:23 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0ALIVE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS The Anthology Our anthology seeks to capture what it means to live with and not in spite of chronic illness and disability. We are looking for literature that fits the theme of living with and not 'in spite of chronic illness or disability. We seek to capture moments of joy, triumph, and growth, highlighting the resilience of the disabled community whilst acknowledging the struggles and challenges that come with living with chronic illness and disability. We are looking for short pieces of literature, such as prose, poetry, and short stories (maximum 2,500 words), fiction or non-fiction. NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
ALIVE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS The Anthology: Letters to today's disabled youth As part of our upcoming anthology which seeks to capture what it means to live with and not in spite of chronic illness and disability. We are looking for short reflections (around 250 words), on what you would tell your younger self or a disabled child or young person. We recognise that many of us walked hallways filled with peers who didn't understand what it was like to live with a health condition, not knowing what the future would look like. Children and young people are still walking those same hallways we once did, and this is our contribution to the next generation. So if you have a moment and a few words to spare, consider writing a letter to your childhood self and to the children and young people of the future. NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
ALIVE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS The Anthology: Parent and carers perspectives As part of our upcoming anthology which seeks to capture what it means to live with and not in spite of chronic illness and disability. We are looking for written perspectives from parents and carers of disabled children, of up to 2,500 words. We are looking for literature that fits the theme of living with and not 'in spite of chronic illness or disability. We seek to capture moments of joy, triumph, and growth, highlighting the resilience of the disabled community whilst acknowledging the struggles and challenges that come with living with chronic illness and disability. NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
#Chronicillness #invisibleillness #mecfs #ME/CFS #writing #Chronicpain
07.03.2026 11:12 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0A watercolour, gouache and soft pastel painting, with black fineliner pen, features red and white tulips with green leaves in a bulbous white vase. The style is loose and free, not precise.
Spring is springing!
This only took about an hour and a half over separate sessions, some of it done propped up in bed, so was thoroughly enjoyable without feeling I was pushing my body too hard.
#art #painting #watercolour #gouache #pastel #mecfs #ME/CFS #chronicillness #chronicpain ๐ท ๐ ๐จ
Lilac text on a dark purple background with hanging leaves and flowers at the top reads: ME/CFS: Art for Awareness Last day of every month, all platforms! Share any art of an endangered flower along with the hashtag #togetherendangered & #millionsmissingflowers. Allies welcome and encouraged! @millions_missing _flowers
A screenshot from the woodland trust website about campanula patula reads: This unassuming little flower has a very specific range in the UK - centred on the southern parts of the Welsh borders - and depends on disturbed, sunny ground in open woodland to germinate. It's thought the loss of coppicing regimes across its already small range made spreading bellflower even rarer. How rare is spreading bellflower? This woodland flower is classed as endangered in the UK. Generally, it can only be found between Shrewsbury and Monmouth, where populations have been recorded in open woodland and scrub habitats and on grassy banks. Genetic analysis by the National Botanic Garden of Wales found the remaining plants aren't very genetically diverse, meaning they could be less healthy and adaptable to changes in their environment and, ultimately, more vulnerable to extinction. woodlandtrust.org.uk
Further info on the campaign and my chosen flower:
28.02.2026 12:10 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0A simple watercolour painting of a purple wildflower with green stems on a cream background. Lilac text in a handwritten style font reads: Endangered Species Spreading Bellflower (Campanula patula) Sound the bell for those whose lives spread vulnerably at the feet of the flourishing. Ring the bell for those whose days of vibrancy are an endangered species.
Still at the learning stage of watercolour, hereโs my depiction of the endangered species Spreading Bellflower, along with a poem for fellow ME sufferers.
#millionsmissimgflowers #togetherendangered #MillionsMissing #ME/CFS #mecfs #chronicillness #chronicpain #poetry #invisibleillness #art ๐จ ๐บ โ๐ป
A text: โOpen call!โ Below it a hand-written text reads โMyalgic Encephalomyelitis Killsโ. A text: โAn online Group Exhibitionโ.
Hi! Our online art gallery, A Quiet Storm, will host an open call group exhibition on International ME/CFS Awareness Day, May 12, 2026.
The submissions will open on March 12th. Our website is currently updated to a dark theme. Full statement below!
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#MECFS #pwME #OpenCall #OnlineExhibition
A photo of a black cat fast asleep in a basket full of green, cream and yellow wool.
Kiki is getting about as much done with these yarns as I amโฆ ๐
#chronicfatigue #mecfs #ME/CFS #chronicillness #cat #sleep ๐งถ ๐โโฌ
A book review for Crafting a Path Through Illness by Germaine Hypher The reviewer, Heather Ifould @cosyhooks, gives the book 5 stars. Her review is as follows: A beautifully written companion. As well as inspiration, Germaine gives us hope, reminding us that that there is no "wrong way' of creating. With a little time ยฉ creativity we can find our spark again E start to make our mark in the world however we are able. We can also use that creativity when thinking of ways we can achieve our other, general, goals. Full of fantastic information, strategies & reminders to pace exercises. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Thank you to Heather Ifould @cosyhooks over on Instagram for these words. Her full book review can be seen on Amazon.
Reading positive reviews absolutely makes my day! ๐ค
#chronicillness #invisibleillness #disabled #mecfs #CraftSky #chronicpain #creativity
๐งถ โ๐ป ๐จ ๐ชก ๐ญ ๐ต ๐งต ๐ง ๐ฑ โ๏ธ
A collage of 3 pairs of red lips with text inside then cut from old magazines. The text is relevant to confusion about whether to speak or not and varied feelings around communication. Two of the mouths have red cross stitches in thin wool on them partially sewing them shut and handwriting on the lips themselves saying Talk Donโt Talk and other contradictory messages about speaking up vs keeping quiet. More text torn from the same old magazine is outside the lips, too, with one being cross stitched over. The background is a page of the same magazine, covered with white paint, some red tissue paper layered in and cross stitches in red yarn at two corners. Are these crosses denoting something having been done wrong or kisses?
Mixed Messages - collage using vintage magazine text, tissue paper, acrylic paint, pen and yarn.
#art #collage #mixedmedia #communication
A photo of majestic hills and the branch of a tree in the foreground has the following poem by Germaine Hypher typed in white over it: There are so many Bodies of water that have never Had the pleasure of touching my skin So many Views denied the shiver Of me breathing them in So many Riffs and beats that will never feel the Heat of me riding their backs So many Cracks in the world to Slip into
A wistful Valentine poem to the world, by me. โ๐ป
#Chronicillness #mecfs #ME/CFS #Chronicpain #chronicfatigue #invisibleillness #disability #housebound #poetry #poem #creativewriting #naturewriting
A photo of books lined up on a wooden surface with an embroidered butterfly sat next to them and a wooden latticed frame displaying dried leaves and lace standing next to them. Text above and below the books says: February 14th isn't just Valentine's Day... ...It's also International Book Giving Day. Go on, give yourself a book, too! All the books pictured are written by chronically ill authors and focus in one way or another on illness and disability. Their titles and authors are as follows: Sycorax - Nydia Heatherington Crafting a Path Through Illness - Germaine Hypher Moving Mountains - Louise Kenward Some of Us Just Fall - Polly Atkin Pain Woman Takes Your Keys - Sonya Huber Supinely Sublimely - Marion Michell A Still Life - Josie George Awakened - Laura Elliot
Look at her proud, straight spine - Crafting a Path through Illness, hanging out with her some of her chronic illness book tribe. She keeps good company, doesnโt she? Theyโre a friendly bunch of books, feel free to get to know themโฆ ๐ โค๏ธ
#books #chronicillness #mecfs #arthritis #hEDS #chronicpain
Photo of a hand embroidered word search with words circled in dark red stitching to reveal the message: Stitching Wounds With Words That Graft And Grow. This is surrounded with scraps of fabric in burgundy, gold, greys and neutrals, sewn all over in sashiko style stitching in dark red thread.
โStitching Wounds With Words That Graft And Growโ
Hand embroidered word-search surrounded by sashiko stitching on scrap fabric (a Japanese technique known as boro).
#CraftSky #fiberart #sewing #wordsearch #mecfs #chronicillness #invisibleillness #ME/CFS #chronicpain ๐งต ๐ชก #sashiko #boro
Blue text surrounded by creative equipment such as a pen, paper, spools of thread, an eraser, a thought bubble, paint and buttons says: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.โ Arthur Ashe
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.โ Arthur Ashe
Crafting a Path Through Illness
#art #creativity #CraftSky #fiberarts #poetry #beginner #newstart #writing #Chronicfatigue #chronicpain #chronicillness #mecfs #gardening #collage #mixedmedia
๐งถ ๐จ ๐งต ๐ต ๐ฑ ๐ท ๐ชก โ๐ป ๐ญ ๐ ๐ง
A seated person is portrayed with minimal black lines, merely suggesting their outline. They have a spiral for a face and are sewing a spiral where their torso would be. The square of paper this is drawn on has roughly torn edges and is laid over a larger piece of irregularly torn black netting, to frame it. This netting is laid over a torn-edged square of textured white paper which, itself, is placed in the centre of a black border.
โCrafting Myself From Scrapsโ
This artwork of mine features in the book Crafting A Path Through Illness so, if you like it, grab yourself a copy!
#art #drawing #mixedmedia #spiral #sewing #linedrawing #chronicillness #invisibleillness #mecfs #ME/CFS #CraftSky #books
I was honoured to contribute to Phil Barnettโs project last year. Phil is an artist and writer living with chronic illness.
You can buy The Spiral of Honesty book (Hardback, 50 pages, 28x28cm, 11x11") at
microcosmic.shop/products/cop...
#chronicillness #mecfs #art #poetry #naturephotography ๐๐
A scrap book image features a photo of a white woman with red hair and her granddaughter. It is her 50th birthday and sheโs holding a plate with a flat birthday cake. Red words on the page say: youโll never guess why my birthday cake was so flatโฆ or what this has to do with creative processโฆ
A scrap book image features photos of a cat climbing in (with the caption: mmmm, cosy), and leaping out of (with the caption: Busted!), a tea towel covered cake tin. Red words on the page say: On birthday eve my daughter baked a perfectly risen cake and left it under a tea towel to cool over night... ...but Bruce the cat thought it would make a marvellous heated cat bed. ๐ He was discovered still nestled there the next morning.
A scrap book image features a photo of a yellow plate with a flat chocolate cake decorated with strawberries. Red words on the page say: And the bit about creative process? I loved having a real life cat bed birthday cake! My cat-flattened cake reminds us not to give up when disaster sits on our plans. Celebrate the funny story, investigate the lesson learned, share the unexpected outcome and embrace whatever creativity you can.
A scrap book image features a photo of a cat-flattened undecorated chocolate cake. Red words on the page say: Tell me about your creative mishaps! And save and share this post for when you or a friend need reminding that a disaster needn't be the end of the creative process! @craftingapaththroughillness
The Story of the Flat Birthday Cake and what it can teach us about creativityโฆ
#cats #cake #baking #creativity
Honoured to be on this list! ๐๐ฉต
24.01.2026 12:22 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
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- Jeremy Jeffs, Photography project @jeremy-jeffs.bsky.social
- โI would be there if I couldโ โ Alison Larkmanโs Mirrorbox project
- Moving Mountains, edited by @louisekenward.bsky.social
- Crafting a Path Through Illness โ by @germainehypher.bsky.social
#chroniclife #PwME #mirrorbox #CFS
A hand knitted blanket, in intricate nature themed patterns, designed to coordinate with my bedroom colours of yellow, green and white.
A spring-green crocheted leaf, made with my birch leaf tattoo in mind, adorned with a silver-metal wise old owl.
Me and my granddaughter showing off a scrapbook filled with photos and loving messages from friends and family, organised and created by my daughter with added help from my granddaughter.
A glazed ceramic acorn charm, bought by a selection of online friends, made by a chronically ill creator.
I celebrated my 50th earlier this month. Iโm still recovering from being on the sofa/floor for two hours with family, gifts, and a visit from a python and an owl (itโs true and they were real!) but the love from friends and family lingers. ๐โค๏ธ
#mecfs #chronicillness #invisibleillness #CraftSky
Are any of these on your New Year Aims list? More time spent on hobbies Effective energy pacing Better self-expression Learning a new craft Looking after your mental health Raising medical awareness Freeing yourself from perfectionism Soothing your nervous system Coping with pain Connecting with others Helping charities Finding inspiration where you are Developing creative skills... @craftingapaththroughillness
...then you need Crafting a Path Through Illness - Exploring Creativity While Chronically Ill by Germaine Hypher Why? I know some people who can answer that for you...
Readersโ Comments about Crafting a Path Through Illness by Germaine Hypher: I was looking for inspiration and I found it. - Jack Cummings This has blown me away. So detailed, well written, humorous and well researched. An accessible and encouraging guide to living well with chronic illness through creativity. It's full of practical advice, showing how arts and crafts can enrich both mental and physical health. - Phil Barnett
Readersโ Comments about Crafting a Path Through Illness by Germaine Hypher: Fantastic. The author cleverly anticipates the struggles you may face and offers solutions. Easy to dip in and out of, beautifully laid out and easy to read. - Dr Anna Wood A therapeutic tool, not just for the chronically ill. An excellent instruction manual, accessible to all. So many ideas to inspire everyone. - Selina Wilkinson
Are any of these on your New Year Aims listโฆ?
#mecfs #ME/CFS #Chronicillness #invisibleillness #creativity #poetry #art #crafts #knitting #crochet #fiberarts #photography #perfectionism #mentalhealth #writing #CraftSky #selfhelp #books #reading #bookreview ๐๐
A label attached to a decorative brass effect key using a beaded scrap of miniature macrame (cut from a worn out bag years ago and saved for some unknown future special use) has gold writing that reads: The key to a wild inner landscape. The photo doesnโt show that in the back of the label are instructions to โhang on the wall and enter your own worldโ.
Creativity neednโt require great art skills or crafty talent - just a little imagination inspired by everyday objects.
#CraftSky #creativity #imagination #key
Black text over a faded out photo reads: โNot enough energy to clean let alone create..? @craftingapaththroughillnessโ The photo is of multiple white outlines of ovals and circles of varying forms and size clustered together on a black background.
Black text over a faded out photo reads: โLet the mess be your art. @craftingapaththroughillnessโ The photo is of multiple white outlines of ovals and circles of varying forms and size clustered together on a black background.
Black text over a faded out photo reads: โThe pattern in this image is a snapshot on my phone of starchy splatters on our black cooker from a pan of rice left to bubble away... @craftingapaththroughillnessโ The photo is of multiple white outlines of ovals and circles of varying forms and size clustered together on a black background.
A photo of multiple cream coloured outlines of ovals and circles of varying forms and size clustered together on a black background. It is a snapshot of starchy splatters on our black cooker from a pan of rice left to bubble away...
Not enough energy to clean, let alone create? Let the mess be your art! The patterns in these photos are starchy splatters on our black cooker from a pan of rice left to bubble away. What patterns can you find in mess?
#chronicillness #chronicfatigue #mecfs #ME/CFS #art #photography #creativity ๐ท ๐ง๐ผโ๐ณ
A paper cut-out of the silhouette of my head bordered with both neatly cut and roughly torn paper, surrounded by a collage of torn maps of where l live, embellished with stitches and strips of fabric. The silhouette is infilled with destinations, torn from global maps, that I would love to visit. These are placed to re-create, through predominant colours on the maps, facial features such as a blue eye and red lips.
โWould If I Could, Instead I Travel Inside My Headโ features at the start of part 6 of the book Crafting a Path Through Illness. It feels relevant at this time of year when adverts for booking holidays abound on TV.
#CraftSky #chronicillness #mecfs #ME/CFS #collage #art #maps #chronicpain #travel
Red writing at the centre says: 10 activities you may not have thought of as creative. Around this are images of various activities with typed words labelling them as follows: recipe/meal planning, doodling, journaling, problem solving, day dreaming, homemade toiletries, new perspectives, virtual travel, plant care/arranging, Lego building.
10 activities you may not have thought of as creativeโฆ
How do you integrate creativity into your life?
#Creativity #chronicillness #chronicpain
A stuffed fabric vole made from brown and white tweed fabric with little black beads for eyes has pins in her back, two needles through her nose and a hoop safety pin in one ear.
I was given an Orkney vole pincushion this Xmas & have named her my Voodoo Vole. Check out her needle whiskers & rather punk safety pin ear piercing - itโs a trendy, round safety pin cos sheโs a fashion conscious vole.
#sewing #fiberarts #CraftSky ๐ชก ๐งต
A selection of art materials includes a pot of acrylic matt medium, three calligraphy brushes, a purple pen, a pad of watercolour paper and a pack of Lutradur textile sheets.
Did you receive any art or craft materials this Christmas? What plans do you have for creating in the new year? Iโm dreaming up ideas for painting and collaging.
#art #CraftSky #painting #fiberarts #collage
Red block capitals on a white background read: NOT SURE I CAN JINGLE ALL THE WAY. I CAN JINGLE SOME OF THE WAY AND THEN I'M GONNA NEED A NAP. Beneath this is the maker of the meme: JOY CREATIVE SHOP
More naps than jingling here today.
How about you? ๐ ๐
#chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicfatigue #invisibleillness #mecfs #ME/CFS #fibromyalgia #migraine #Christmas
Gold text inside a border of Christmas foliage and red berries reads: CRAFT YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS. @craftingapaththroughillness
Craft yourself a merry little Christmas!
๐ ๐งถ ๐ชก โ๐ป ๐จ ๐ญ ๐ต ๐ง ๐ฑ ๐
#CraftSky #fiberarts #knitting #crochet #sewing #needlework #art #drawing #poetry #pottery #sculpture #christmas #handmade #homemade #creativity #painting #writing #artsandcrafts #crafting #crafts
A delicate snowflake crocheted in white, slightly fluffy yarn of a lace weight, is hanging in the branches of a Christmas tree.
A delicate snowflake crocheted in white, slightly fluffy yarn of a lace weight, is hanging at an angle from the branch of a Christmas tree with out of focus fairy lights in the background. .
This snowflake, that delights my tree every Christmas, was crocheted for me some years ago by a friend who was living at the time with FND, chronic fatigue and vestibular migraines. She chose the perfect yarn for the delicate snowflake.
#CraftSky #chronicillness #fiberart #yarn #crochet #christmas
Itโs so simple, isnโt it? ๐
14.12.2025 14:17 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0