July 5th, 2013 1:54 pm

Desktop mag: Creative Practice & Pain Management

By |2021-02-24T10:29:47+11:00July 5th, 2013|Categories: Creativity, Online, Print|Tags: , , |

(Article from Desktop Magazine’s feature article: Creative Practice and Pain Management)Written by Soula MantalvanosOrigin of Image is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Collingwood that is managed by professional and personal partners, [...]

June 26th, 2013 2:01 pm

The Design Files

By |2017-12-11T14:28:45+11:00June 26th, 2013|Categories: About, Creativity, Living, Online|Tags: , , , , |

...I'll clarify now, this post is a very positive one. It's about standing up, facing the world which requires courage, strength, being understood, supported, alot of struggle, and a damn load of management skills. ... not only did Lucy Feagins share our creativity on her brilliant blog, but her address and understanding of our space and lives couldn't have been more spot on or more supportive of PN. It puzzled me that Lucy could understand it when others struggle so much. ... I want judgement to stop. People in pain shouldn't have to say more than 'I suffer chronic pain'. It's harmful and prevents people in pain from going out when they're feeling ok, or rather when they can withstand their pain. If their houses are really tidy, that means they have help. If you see them socialising in one place, doesn't mean they can make it to the next. We are able to smile, we can move, we can walk, we can stand, just not alot. We don't hunch, in fact our practitioners teach us to have great posture, we might sit funny, walk slow, not carry much, and stare as you may you won't see our pain. If we appear somewhere and look great, we planned for that and it took alot of sacrifice and help. If you have doubts, keep them to yourself please because there's no doubt in our mind we're in pain.

May 9th, 2013 2:17 pm

My_Space, My facade, living with Pudendal Neuralgia

By |2017-12-11T13:46:29+11:00May 9th, 2013|Categories: Blog, Creativity, Print|Tags: , , |

We don't usually love media, but a little attention after some lengthy hibernation from work was bound to be very valuable for our (Theo's and my) 12 or so year old business, Origin of Image. The lovely Sunday Style (Herald Sun) offered an interview in their 'My_Space' feature... hmmm, quite funny for us as there's nothing 'my' about 'our' life. We share work, living, we even share Pudendal Neuralgia (PN). However this media attention and the snap of me in Sunday's weekend paper had me staring at my portrait (thank you Marija Ivkovic) with curiousity at that captured second of my able life. I looked incredibly independent, active, like I was working full-time and like the issue I confessed to was clearly easy to live with. We are all judged on our facade... and although it was stated in the article that I have PN, I often wonder: can it (or any other invisible issue) ever be understood by my friends, family or community at a glance? The answer is obviously 'no'. I myself battle to understand this conflicting issue with its high sensitivity, on/off maddening, screaming and confusing signals and failing functions, and that's no surprise because even I can't see it! Theo puts it well, "I can't understand Pudendal Neuralgia but I believe Soula".

May 2nd, 2013 10:08 pm

Over to Ms Soula

By |2024-02-22T11:17:13+11:00May 2nd, 2013|Categories: About, Blog, Creativity, Living, The pain|Tags: , |

I had tried to paint myself in pain but it was deeply upsetting. It would have also been concrete documentation - forever - and that's the last thing I wanted to do with this pain. Immortalise it. The pain wasn't staying. It wasn't forever, and there was no way I was going to make it mine. My artwork takes me to happy places, but of course I couldn't ignore these years of my life.

March 7th, 2012 11:58 pm

Published and about to be heard!

By |2017-12-11T16:14:01+11:00March 7th, 2012|Categories: Advocacy, Creativity, Online, Workcover|Tags: , , |

Thank you Graphis, The International Journal of Visual Communication, for publishing my political poster.

Australia's WorkSafe system needs a serious update for the sake of Employers, Workers and Tax Payers. I'm hoping to get enough views to be published in the Graphis Annual and send a personally signed copy to our WorkSafe Minister.
December 15th, 2011 7:08 am

My pre pain life…

By |2022-09-05T11:26:10+10:00December 15th, 2011|Categories: About, Creativity, Living, The pain|Tags: , |

I was active, I had capacity, boundless energy to execute my creative thoughts (and meet the expectations of a full social calendar!). I worked veeeeery long and wonderful days, I walked everywhere, lunching, dining, starting every day at a local cafe, picking up art materials, walking the dog, running the dog, to Carlton, the city, Fitzroy, I skipped through the streets of the great arrondissements of Paris when on annual holidays, and swore by my four day a week yoga routine that unravelled my body and had me feeling like Gumby warm to the ends of my extremities... There was no 'tired', 'sore', 'fatigued', 'have to rest', there was no 'pain'. Like I said, it was bliss.

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