[Naeem]

here's another question for all of you artists;

I never really thought about losing my arm/hand, especially my right hand which i use to draw/paint. Have you guys ever thought about it? I've been more conscious of it lately, protecting it, and risking my left arm for anything dangerous i do.
I mean, I see it as this; my whole life/career depends in this hand. It's my most prized possession, along with my brain and eyes. Losing it renders me pretty useless.
That's why I've let go of most sports I participated in also. Too risky in my eyes. It could be paranoia, but I'm just being cautious.

How about all of you?
_________________
http://www.annisnaeem.blogspot.com/

[Nilwort]

Yeah, just don't get drafted into the military and you'll be fine.

[The Insane Lemur]

dont drink and work with heavy machinery either

[Jimmyjimjim]

If you start being afraid of stuff like that you'll end up never leaving the house. You'll be "the wierd guy that lives down the street that talks to squirrels" or something similar.

[Ranath]

it's not likely that you would lose your hand. How many people you know that would have lost their right arm/hand? I bet none, so what's the probability that you will? Pretty small, so no need to stop living because of a fear like that

[eyewoo]

Hey... if you're into artistic paranoia, add eyesight to the anxiety list

[Gecko]

I broke my wrist as a kid, it took me about 2 weeks to learn to write with the other hand. How much would it take to draw/paint? a year, tops? I'm sure all the important stuff is in the brain.

Dude, don't stop your sports/hobbies for something silly like this.
_________________
Gecko
[email protected]
Portfolio

[gLitterbug]

Just pull a Frazetta and learn to use your other hand.

edit: forgot to mention, always use your non-drawing hand for whacking off.

[Naeem]

loll.
glitterbug> hah. *notes that down*
eyewoo> yeahh, that too.

everyone else, you're right. i would be turning into a weirdo if i kept t hinking that way.
_________________
http://www.annisnaeem.blogspot.com/

[YVerloc]

My father has one arm. He lost his other arm it in a bike accident when he was 12. He's the most adept person I know at just about everything. If I could do a quarter of the things he can do, I'd be well satisfied. Don't worry about your arm. Worry about your brain. Stay away from drugs and alcohol, or at least use them in moderation. Word to the wise.

[Godwin]

Losing your hand or arm is bad, but can you imagine losing your sight? I can't.
_________________
Derelict Studios|Godwin's Space

[YVerloc]

You can't eh? See, there's these things called eyelids. If you ever want to 'imagine' what it might be like to not be able to see, you've only got to, you know, close them.

[Capt. Fred]

Fear of loosing your arm leading you to avoid sports?

I'm not sure it's a valid fear. An american football or rugby player's livelihood rests equally heavily on the use of his hands and arms, but that doesn't cause them to pussyfoot around, limp-wristed.

Actually, I don't think that's a totally logical argument.
Huh, anyhow�

[Naeem]

lol
well i havent completely stopped sports. i'm just more careful around the heavy ones like football & wrestling. its not completely about losing my arm. losing it is hard. but im thinking about breaking it too. that would take a big chunk of time away from art. i've already broken it once, and it took me 7 months to recover because i had broken it pretty bad and had to go through 2 surgeries. after that, my writing/drawin skills went down the drain, and i had to start almost from a fresh start. but i guess since my brain already had the information and only had to practice it, i progressed a bit quicker then from a clean start.
_________________
http://www.annisnaeem.blogspot.com/

[Giant Hamster]

Here's the thing. If you're going around in fear of losing your arm, as you said, you'll do things differently to protect your precious arm. In doing things differently you'll be doing them wrong. In doing them incorrectly you raise the risk of fucking up and losing your arm. Therfor, do things correctly and stop worrying.

[stacy]

Back when I was at University, I worked summers at a saw mill as a millwright. There were plenty of chances to lose way more than a hand. I have scars all over my hands from changing razor sharp slabber blades and handling red hot pieces that were being cut or welded...
...you just can't worry about stuff like that or it will freeze you.

I've been through the vision scare too.
I had 5 over 20 and 10 over 20 sight. REAL eagle eyes. My eyes were that good because my retinas are about 1/3 as thick as most peoples. Because they're so thin, one of them let go when I was 22. Since then I've had sight in only one eye, but it doesn't matter because I can still see better out of one, than most people can out of two.

You just can't spend your time worrying about any of that stuff. What happens, happens... and if anything does occur, you'll be amazed at how well your body will adapt.

Maybe a good insurance policy would ease your mind.

[Jimmyjimjim]

Despite my last post, I should probably relate this story-

About 5 years ago I broke my arm in two places skateboarding. It did indeed really effect my work. At the time I was a motion graphics designer at a place in L.A. For two months I had to work with my arm propped up on a box with a pillow on it. It sucked, but it wasn't the end of the world. Now, if I was a freelance artist, it might kinda monkey-wrench things. Loss of that much dexterity would be devastating.

So, did I sop skateboarding? When I started Art Center, you bet. But not because of fear, because of time.

So what I'm saying is- If you get accepted, don't worry because you won't have time to do anything other than homework anyway.

[Naeem]

Jimmyjimjim> you're right. All my stuff is at AC right now. Guidance counselor needs to send the transcript again because it didnt get to them. But I'm thinking of going to PCC now for a year. :-/
_________________
http://www.annisnaeem.blogspot.com/

[seth1]

[Drunken Monkey]

this thread is hilarious... especially the serious posts.

annismahmad, don't dwell in that direction... don't let your mind run these silly thoughts in your head and build up unnecessary fears... this is like straight out of psy 101. at first i thought it was a joke...

next thing is you stop leaving your house to protect the hand from being hit by a stray meteor. if this sounds sane to you, find me and ill he-bitch-man-slap some sense into you (with the backside of my drawing hand)

live life man... draw shit you like, play sports, drive fast, ask chicks you dig out... fuck this 'cautious' shit.
_________________
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" - Sigmund Freud

[SAM]

If you do sports you actually have less of a risk of injuring your hands in everyday life because your bones and muscles would be stronger, and you'd be more flexible and nimble, which is allways a good thing for an artist.

Since we seem to all be "digital" artists here, We should worry more about once back-sides. I'm the first to confess that I don't allways sit up straight when I do my work in front of the computer, and for shorter periods my back has been in pain because of it. I started excercising and streching and stuff like that and don't have that problem anymore.

[crigg]

lol i almost choked.... you guys are so hardcore

[The Real Mark]

A brisbane Saxophonist had his fingers hacked off in a home invasion. So even if you stay at home you're at risk... live life to your fullest. (btw, brisbane isn't dangerous, this was pretty much one of the worst things that has happened in ages here)

http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/bm/national/122366.html

[Nilwort]

[eyewoo]

...or at least also play the harmonica as a backup...