Jane, a friend of mine asked me last year to paint her portrait. She had just finished a long course of chemotherapy for breast cancer.  She wanted to life-model and have photographs taken of her at the point where her hair was beginning to grow back. In order for her to leave that chapter of her life behind she felt she needed to record this particular time. Jane felt that the act of exposing and being able to express herself would help her gain an identity and sense of dignity that she felt she had lost…she recognised the role of art within the healing process. The portrait demonstrated how she felt to others and helped Jane recognise that she was moving on and getting better. 
I decided to produce a second portrait of Jane as my creative piece. Now I have completed two terms of medical school I understand so much more about cancer and its treatment. I did not fully understand how hard it must have been for her to lose all her hair, especially as she was afraid it would grow back grey. I did not fully understand what it must have been like to go through it alone and I couldn’t get my head around her negativity towards doctors and hospitals. I also didn’t understand that taking so many drugs for a period of time you can feel a frustration and an unwillingness to comply. I felt that my previous artwork was not a successful representation. In this new piece I added more colour (as the previous work was almost black and white). I also chose a different pose, in my first portrait I used a very restful pose, this time I understand more of the pain and fatigue she must have been feeling. I selected a pose where Jane is rubbing her eyes as she is tired –  tired of the hospitals, medications and doctors.
I also used this creative process as a self-care. As all first year medics are, I was stressed as I felt overloaded with work. I found it a positive change to enjoy making a piece of work and it helped me to relax and become more aware of my own emotional state.