The Coronavirus and Staying Hopeful

By Jeremy Sicile-Kira

March 31, 2020

Truly I want to write about Hope. Hearing my mom talk over the years about having hope for realizing my dreams, has helped me to realize that hope is a necessary attribute for overcoming life’s challenges. I am hopeful that I will paint with my right hand again soon, and I hope that we will all find new ways of connecting because of the coronavirus.

There is a lot of uncertainty on how dangerous the coronavirus can be. One of those things we can do to help the most, is to dearly stay indoors. Personally it is a challenge to shelter in place. As someone with autism, my routine is important to me and it was greatly impacted by this pandemic. I dearly miss my art studio and going to my workout class at SDSU. It is difficult to be confined for long moments, but it helps to focus on the things I can do, not what I can’t do.

Normally, anxiety would be quick to take over, but I know the coronavirus is out of my direct control. I have to say the nice things we can focus on are those we have control over. My great support team and beautiful mom are working hard to keep a steady routine for me. While not every American is as lucky as I am to have a support team, a routine can relieve many anxieties.

Frankly there are many things to do inside to keep everyone safe and entertained. I will share some of my favorite activities to do indoors to stay as safe as possible. Truly I have been learning beautiful and new skills for creating digital art. It truly doesn’t compare to painting in my studio with real paint and brushes, but kindly it is still a way to keep my art growing. I have also been watching new, dearly fun and informative documentaries now. Truly it has been a great opportunity to explore new beautiful shows.

Frankly I am also mightily spending time doing exercises for my injured finger and getting used to how it feels since I lost the tip of my finger. I nicely feel that I’m using my time wisely by also reconnecting with friends through zoom.

Greatly it is Hope, not fear and anxiety, that will get us through these disturbing times.

END

This is Jeremy’s art “Staying Hopeful”

About Jeremy Sicile-Kira

For the past few weeks I have been exploring and creating beautiful art using an iPad with Apple Pencil. Usually I make a living as an artist painting on canvas. Nicely I have challenges with my body and movement. Recently an accident to my middle finger made it much harder to paint on canvas. Nicely the iPad has helped me get my creative ideas out with less pain and difficulty. Not everything is the same as it was before my accident, but I love being able to create beautiful paintings from wherever I am. While frankly I have to learn new ways to visualize what I want, I truly see the potential of reaching more people and inspiring others with digital art. I will continue to grow as an artist thanks to these wonderful tools.

I have autism and synesthesia. Synesthesia means that my senses are greatly mixed. I truly do not see the emotions on people’s dear faces, but I see their emotions translated into color. Hearing their voices or music elicits colors as well. When I dream, I am processing what I have seen and heard when I am awake. Frankly I kindly read people’s emotions and translate them in my dreams into glorious paintings, realizing each person’s true self. Frankly, I hope that by seeing their colors painted, my clients will greatly feel and realize that they are beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside. I greatly hope that I make a difference in the world with my art. I frankly hope my paintings inspire only the good in people. For visitors to my art studio and shows, I hope they feel the love I have, and respect I have, for each person, place, or piece of music that I paint.