Health

I started Rebel Art Creations after wanting to tap back into my creative side after leaving it dormant for a while. I wanted to create again, I had done different workshops with different mediums and materials, but I was trying to find something new, then resin spoke to me.

It was medium I love working with, the fluidity and the way it flowed, was what I was after. I love the beauty and the complexity of it.

So, after my first year I started to feel a little unwell, very tired, out of breath and I thought it was because I was burning the candle at both ends (which tend to be my life) I had described it as though my power cord has been pulled out.

Being quite in-tuned with body, I knew something was up, so off to the doctor I went, thinking it might be asthma due to shortness of breathing - but nope. That afternoon I was off the cardiologist and after a series of tests, she said to me  - YOU HAVE HEART FAILURE!

WHAT, can you repeat that? - then the shock hit me like a ton of bricks and the tears started to flow......... I couldn't believe it! Those 4 words in a sentence was shocking to hear, in my early 40's I couldn't believe those were the words I was hearing.

This diagnosis was hard to accept at first and as any normal human does - I went to Google. It scared the shit out of me (we all do it - don't we?).

Reading the statistics and stories I thought I only had 5 years to live!

My mind was going around in cycles - it seems like a blur, I kept a lot of this worry to myself and internalized my thoughts whilst trying to make sense through the months that followed.

But now, I am doing fine and I now take daily medication to keep my heart pumping and allowing the blood to flow through my body. There are side effects and the main one is feeling tired, but I have learnt to just get on with it. I never want pity nor do I have woes me attitude, cause in life nothing is guaranteed and the best trait I have - is to be resilient. I try and make sure I make the most of each day that I have left here.

But I am aware enough to be cautious. That is why you will always find my partner John at the Markets with me as there is no way I could physically do the markets on my own - I would fall into a heap.....

So, my art has kept me focused during this time and I found I could escape to my studio and create, this gave me comfort and in a way, and it helped me heal. Without my art during this time, I would have found myself spinning in my own worry and thoughts.

Life is a strange journey and I could talk for hours and hours about LIFE but I found through this process it has allowed me to shed a lot of things that I would have accepted previously, I have become more resilient, I don't let people miss treat me, I stand up for what I believe and I don't care if doesn't fit into your world.

I need to be proud of who I AM.

Judith x

Your story is a powerful reminder that health challenges don't define us—how we respond to them does. What you've shared here is deeply personal, and it speaks to something many of us face but rarely talk about: the moment when life forces us to pause and reassess everything.

Heart failure at any age is confronting. The initial shock, the Google rabbit hole, the quiet moments of fear—these are all part of the journey. But what strikes me most about your experience is how you've transformed that diagnosis from a stopping point into a turning point.

Your art became your anchor. While your body was adjusting to medication and learning a new rhythm, your hands were creating beauty in resin. That's not just a distraction—that's healing. There's something profound about channeling uncertainty into something tangible, something you can hold and see and share with others.

The resilience you mention isn't something you developed overnight. It's the same quality that drew you back to creativity in the first place, that made you listen to your body when something felt wrong, and that keeps you showing up at the markets with John by your side. You're not hiding from your limitations—you're working with them, honestly and without apology.

What you've learned through this process extends far beyond health. You've given yourself permission to shed what doesn't serve you, to stand firm in your beliefs, and to demand respect. That's the real victory here. Not just surviving, but deciding who you want to be while you're doing it.

Every piece you create now carries that resilience with it. Your customers aren't just buying beautiful resin art—they're supporting someone who chose to keep creating, keep living, and keep being authentically themselves.

Thank you for sharing this, Judith. Your story matters.