Follow us: hu Improving life after brain injury Need to talk? 0808 800 2244 Donate Home About brain injury Individuals Brain injury and me Paintings by Hannah Je... Share your story Share your story with us to help others affected by brain injury Hannah Jenkins Even when I struggle to string a sentence together I can pick up my pallet knife and disappear into myself. Hannah Jenkins was knocked off her push bike by another cyclist on her way home in October 2015. Despite battling with the ongoing effects of her brain injury, Hannah has found a way to express herself and relax through her talent for art. Here, we share Hannah's story and some of the paintings she has created. Theale Lake Sunset, by Hannah Jenkins Wave, by Hannah Jenkins How has brain injury affected you? In the short term (6-months-ish), I lost most of my English although the German remained. I could walk fine but struggled with balance and vertigo and headaches. Now fatigue is the worst, with depression, mood swings, difficulty maintaining focus, sleep problems, finding the right words sometimes, over emotional at the worst time. What inspired you to take up art? I hadn’t really painted much since finishing my upper A-level, but needed something that I could just do when the fatigue made it difficult to read or focus, art seemed to use a different part of my brain which was still able to function. Now even when I struggle to string a sentence together I can pick up my pallet knife and disappear into myself and actually relax. How do your artworks reflect your life after brain injury? They are all about light and colour and a lot more dramatic then they used to be. I see the world differently now and feel so much more free to play around a little. And how does art help you? I can switch off properly and just get totally lost with no real effort, before I started again I struggled to recharge without just going back to bed and losing an hour of the day. After I’ve done even half an hour or so of painting I feel better then when I’ve had an hour- long sleep. Plus I can express myself without being interrupted while I struggle to find the right words. If you could give one bit of advice to others affected by brain injury, what would it be? Try and have patience with yourself and try and find something that can focus your mind on something other than your injury. Snowcapped, by Hannah Jenkins Family, carers, friends, they can all step away and have a chance to escape, my partner could walk the dog for me and eventually go back to work again long before I could. I felt stuck with this unwanted guest who just wouldn’t leave. I did end up going for walks but my mind would still drift back to negative thoughts such as how much more tiring it was to just get the woods. Art lets me escape, I focus on how the paint covers the canvas or which yellow I need to mix the right shade of green and the unwanted guest is forgotten for a while at least. You can see more of Hannah's artwork on her Etsy shop. Back to stories index Creative expression Find out more Rock painting by Deborah Johnston Deborah Johnston explains how a new-found creative activity has helped her to cope with feelings of isolation and anxiety after brain injury. Find out more My poetry: John Marshall John Marshall shares his story of life after brain injury and his inspirational poem, 'I used to be fit and healthy'. Find out more Friends of Headway Individual membership Join/Renew Contact Us t: 0115 924 0800 e: enquiries@headway.org.uk Help us improve life after brain injury. Donate Improving life after brain injury 0808 800 2244 Call our free helpline 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. Or email helpline@headway.org.uk Join our online Community 27k Likes 25k Followers 3k Subscribers Privacy policy Cookies Terms & Conditions Accessibility Contact Us Resource centre Find a Headway Approved care providers Charity shops Fundraising comments, feedback and complaints Vacancies Join our mailing list Headway - the brain injury association is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity no. 1025852) and the Office of the Scottish Regulator (Charity no. SC 039992). Headway is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no. 2346893. © Copyright Headway 2021 - Site designed and developed by MEDIAmaker By clicking 'Accept All Cookies’ you agree to the storing of cookies on your device. This will help us to offer the best possible experience and develop more of the information you need. Accept All Cookies Cookies Settings