My Art Despite Pain initiative, for chronic pain awareness, has led to some unexpected outcomes since it began in 2021. Last year #ArtDespitePain was profiled in a two-page feature in a national healthcare magazine, and in the newsletter of a national pain science organization. Then my series of daily watercolour *pain*tings in September, for International Pain Awareness Month, was highlighted by the same organization.
But nothing has been quite so extraordinary as today’s unexpected result of my Art Despite Pain activities; being asked to participate in a TV show! I spent the morning being filmed for an episode of a documentary series at Pixcom, an award-winning Montreal-based production company.
This episode is on chronic pain, for the television series You Can’t Ask That; winner of the 2021 Canadian Screen Award for Best Factual Series (CBC; Productions Pixcom Inc.; Producers: Izabel Chevrier, Nicola Merola, Charles Lafortune, Sylvie Desrochers, and Jacquelin Bouchard, Via ReelScreen.com.) The TV series You Can’t Ask that is:
“As each episode features one specific disability, but a variety of people, the audience is given a better understanding of the range of experiences these individuals have faced.
Answers are intercut from one protagonist to another as the editing highlights effective comparisons between different stories and perspectives.” Via Pixcom.com
Season 2 of You Can’t Ask That “was filmed in Montreal and Toronto in winter 2019, and is produced by Pixcom Productions for CBC in association with AMI.” Via cbc.ca There was then a break due to the pandemic, with Season 3 scheduled to air in the early spring of 2024. This Season of the series will include the episode filmed today, on chronic pain, for which we’ll hopefully start seeing some trailers and out-takes by the end of this month.
It’s absolutely incredible that my Art Despite Pain initiative has led to my participation in this television series, so I’m thankful that I set aside the doubts I had at the outset – and simply ‘went with my gut’ on this. There’s no financial benefit, no advertising or promotion in Art Despite Pain; it’s meant purely to increase awareness of pain conditions and persistent pain.
And I can’t think of a better way to raise awareness than to have chronic pain featured in an episode of this award-winning TV series. “You Can’t Ask asks the misunderstood, judged, or stigmatised people in society, the questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to.
It’s about breaking down stereotypes and offering genuine insight into the lives of people who live with labels.” Via CBC Gem; gem.cbc.ca
Best of all, the “show’s format is simple: naive, bold and/or uncomfortable questions are posed and responses — given direct to camera — are raw, enlightening and often surprising.
Audacious, touching and funny, this series is guaranteed to challenge everyone’s assumptions about life with a disability.” Via CBC Radio-Canada: solutionsmedia.cbcrc.ca
I’ll post details and links here, once the episode on chronic pain and the rest of Season 3 are available for online viewing. As they say; “Stay tuned for more information”! In the meantime, as always, thanks so much for stopping by. Please feel free to reach out on Instagram or Twitter/X if you have any comments or suggestions. I’ve had to disable the comments feature here on the blog because my brain simply can’t handle managing them anymore, because of my Mild Cognitive Impairment from CRPS rare disease.