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6 Truths About the Struggle of an Artist!
This is What happened Wednesday evening on the #Blogchatter Twitter /X chat and I couldn’t help sharing my answers to the fun questions. For the entire chat check out the first tweet I embedded.
This post is in the form of Q and A where the Q s are by Blogchatter and the answers are mine.
Q1.Tell us where you’re joining from and what is your creative superpower?
Telling stories through words,art and my plants .
Q1.What’s a stereotype around being an artist/creative that you’ve heard too often? #Blogchatter
A.Of the tortured unhappy artist. No one talks about the happy artist.But for me I am happy writing or painting and it’s an instant pick me up for Me ! #Blogchatter
Plus the true artist doesn’t need money.Its difficult if not impossible to create on an empty stomach .
Q2. How does the pressure to create affect you as an artist?
I ignore it.#Blogchatter
That’s the reason this is my 10th year blogging and 4 year painting. October 2024 is going to be the 10th blog birthday.
Q3. We love our #BlogchatterRetreats to unwind and connect with like-minded creatives. This year we’re having it in Kolkata:
theblogchatter.com/campaign-regis…
How in your experience collaboration with a community can help an artist?
It’s wonderful to find a community who can grow together and help each other.The reason I am tweeting #Blogchatter since 2017 .The best Blogging platform in India.I have been part of a few and this is easily the best.
Q4. How do you see social media shaping the identity and visibility of artists now as compared to before? #Blogchatter
A4 The organic reach is tough .The algorithm is tweaked to help the Platforms make money and you get sucked into sm addiction .
Whether it translates into income is something for other people to answer. My blog and my books are still my first choice.
#Blogchatter
Q5. As a creative, how has your understanding of being a “successful artist” evolved?
#Blogchatter
A5 I think I realized the biggest part of being successful as an artist or as a Doctor is being happy doing what you love and helping people .Art and the artist both should spread joy .That’s my understanding #Blogchatter
Q6. We all fall prey to imposter syndrome as artists. What do you do to overcome it?
#Blogchatter
A 6 Watch my daughter sketching and having fun .Creating joyfully with no agenda is my way of beating imposter syndrome #Blogchatter
Sharing a few artwork from 2021 which helped me stay calm during the lock down.Checkout my book Starting a Successful Blog here .
Sharing is good Karma!
5 Skills Every Blogger Needs To Develop in 2024
Blogging is a story of convenience. It’s low pressure under most conditions. Until you want to reach more people and make more money.Its then that the challenge starts.
When I wrote about Starting a Successful Blog ,I was still thinking in a linear way but was also pivoting significantly.
So no.1 Skill is the ability to pivot .
As writers we can be storytellers or not.Being a storyteller makes the words more powerful and has a better reach.If 2024 is when AI went crazy.It is also the year when Amazon,Google,Facebook the big tech giants fired significant many .
Your job is only needed when you provide something human which is extra and much needed .Otherwise it’s a job which will be done by some other human or AI .
The no.2 skill is to get better at story telling.
Case in point Palki Sharma who reports mainly on geopolitics and her way of telling a story makes geopolitics interesting!
But bloggers who didn’t have a focused niche or experience showing through their content will feel disheartened.Because it’s not just the story but the facts which will also help you stand out. Its time to think deeply about what you are bringing to the table ,when it comes to blogging.
So skill number three is finding your ikigai in terms of blogging.
With Googles unending updates,algorithm and changes with conspiracy theories floating about, I would have stopped blogging if not for my incessant need to share everything I know .
Number four is not a skill but your reason behind the blog .Remembering your why .
Because you know what?Someone somewhere is being helped and that’s the reason I started this blog in the first place.
It’s going to be the 10th blog birthday in October and I have my thinking hat on about what direction I want to go.
Options are many but sustainable and helpful are my non-negotiables .There’s too much trouble everywhere without my blog being part of the drama .
Number five is learning buisness skills behind earning a living online.I am having trouble here even now and 2024 is exceptionally turbulent.
I want to get better at all the five but working hard on the last two because my digital legacy is, I taught my daughter to blog too and she wrote eight blog posts in the month of April without any help !
Sharing is good Karma!
Shingles:Cause, Prevention
One in 3 people has the risk of developing Shingles. That’s what the CDC says.But why do you need to know this? If you or a relative is aged fifty or more, it’s a good idea to get vaccinated and you must have seen Big B talk about it on the television.But let’s start from the beginning.There are many strange articles and misinformation online about this disease.
Tldr:First of all, it’s not a STD or sexually transmitted disease .Second, it’s a viral disease and caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, but Shingles occur most commonly in old age.
According to Harrison Internal Medicine, Varicella Zoster is a virus which causes two distinct clinical presentations :chicken pox and Shingles.
Chicken pox is most common in children and has characteristic vesicular rash while Shingles occur as dermatomal rash in specific parts of body .Chicken pox in adults is a serious disease and may have extensive systemic involvement and complications.Incidentally vaccination exists even for chicken pox where like all other vaccines one may get infected still but the expression and clinical disease may limit severity.
So what is Shingles? It’s caused by the Varicella Zoster virus.
You remember I mentioned chicken pox also known as the Varicella zoster virus?If that virus getting reactivated in old age Shingles(Herpes Zoster) is what happens.According to the medical science these chicken pox virus stays sleeping or dormant in the nerve cells and during episodes of immune suppression weakness gets reactivated and starts giving you trouble.They characteristically have a burning sensation associated with skin lesions along the area of distribution of that nerve and make life difficult .It causes a dermatomal rash The regular painkillers don’t work and prevention is the best policy .
They may suffer multiple episodes with waxing and waning i between with itching ,tingling ,burning sensation in specific areas associated with rashes.The rash can appear on the third to fifth day with or without fever.The herpetic neuralgia or pain is difficult to manage and is one of the main reason behind poor quality of life.
In my ENT clinic, Ear manifestation of Shingles present as earache with rashes over the pinna and in the ear canal .
Statistics:
India : A million cases of Shingles each year.Incidence of 705 per million population per year. In USA approximately 1 out of 3 people develop herpes zoster during their lifetime Shingles, and about half of people over age eighty have had shingles.The Shingles vaccine for people above 50 years is a good way to ensure no trouble from this virus .
So when can Shingles occur?In people above 50 years of age having any cause of immune suppression, because of disease or drugs.Like HIV,Cancer treatment,Cancer itself,autoimmune disease,diabetes,severe cardiac ,liver or kidney disease .Any disease which over powers your immune system can cause Shingles.So the best way to prevent it ,is to have healthy habits,eat nutritious food and get vaccinated on time.
Shingles Vaccine in India: Shingrix Zoster Vaccine[source]
2 doses needed at a gap of two to six month.Protection is said to be for ten years ;Age group-Above 50 years.India has 260 million people above 50 years who can be saved from a disease causing poor quality of life with a vaccine.
Who should get vaccinated?
At-risk group.Age greater than fifty.Those who have suffered one episode of shingles.Those who received a chicken pox vaccine previously.
Consult your doctor for checking whether you are eligible for the vaccine.This is not a replacement for a medical consultation and is strictly for the purpose of awareness.Though we try to keep updates current, since medical science is a rapidly evolving field, inadvertent additions and omissions while unfortunate is occasionally unavoidable .The author or the website under no circumstances will be held liable for the same.Kindly consult a health care provider for personalized vaccine recommendations
References
1.Harrison’s Infectious Disease
2.https://medwinpublishers.com/MJCCS/can-india-let-go-the-opportunity-to-minimize-million-shingles-cases-annually-as-india-launches-shingrix-zoster-vaccine-in-april-2023.pdf
3.CDC
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Nose bleed and Thalassemia
Nose bleeds in children are common.In nine out of ten cases its due to nose picking.It’s the rest which we need to rule out.
What you should do if your child has nose bleed?
1)Don’t panic.Seeing you panic or cry will scare your child scared and he/she will start to cry.This can cause the nose bleed to become worse.
2)Pinch the nose and ask child to breathe gently through the mouth.Child should be bending forward over a wash basin ,or you can hold a vessel in front of his mouth .
3)Talk to the child gently and calm him down.
4)You can then hold a cold damp cloth over the nose bridge.This helps control bleeding too.Pinching the nose helps stop bleeding within 5 to 10 minutes.
When should you worry and visit your nearest emergency?
1)If the bleeding happens for longer than 10 minutes.
2)Happens frequently and takes a long time to stop .
3)Bleeding also from other places ,like from gums,while peeing etc.
4)Baby is very pale and blood tests show hemoglobin to be low .
5)Even minor cut injury ,takes a long time to stop.
6)There is history of swelling of knee and other parts of body with discolouration even with minor trauma.
7)When bleeding causes baby to become lethargic.
8)There’s family history of similar bleeding.
9) There’s family history of consanguinous marriage.
10.Preconceptional testing not done for Thalassemia.
11.Family history of Thalassemia trait in one parent and other not tested.
What tests will your doctor suggest?
If its the first episode and bleeding stopped quickly few tests may be suggested depending on history and clinical examination
But if the doctor has grounds for clinical suspicion ,a thorough checkup may be needed.Nasal bleeding can sometimes be a danger sign of bleeding problems like, Thalessemia,Haemophilia and Leaukemia and other bleeding disorders.
A complete blood work up like:
- Haemoglobin
- Complete blood counts
- Platelet levels
- Prothrombin time
- APTT(Activated partial thromboplastin time)
- Liver function test
- Peripheral blood smear
- Haemoglobin electrophoresis to rule out Thalessemia
Radiology can be suggested keeping in mind history and clinical features. CTPNS (Computed tomography Paranasal sinus) helps rule out nasal masses.
If nose bleeding is due to trauma, it will stop with the first steps explained.After that nose drops ,oral antibiotics and topical antibiotic creams will be prescribed.One of the commonest preventable cause of nose bleeding in children is Thalessemia.
This prevention happens through blood tests done before marriage or atleast before planning to have a baby(preconception test).
Even now with massive awareness around this disease,there is multiple examples of Thalassemia baby ,especially in Eastern part of India
Data
Every year 10,000 to 15000 babies are born with Beta Thalassemia major in India.
India
1.5% of Global population are Beta Thalassemia carriers.60,000 new symptomatic patients every year make this a cause for concern.
Thalassemia Screening is crucial
High prevalence of Thalassemia in the Indian subcontinent.Carrier state high and often goes undiagnosed because it’s remains asymptomatic except for anemia .
Awareness about pre-marital counseling and tests – for all couples should be mandatory to avoid unfortunate problems.
For arranged marriages its highly adviced to avoid marriage between two individuals with Thalassemia trait.High risk of Thalassemia Major babies in couples with carrier state in both parents.
Nose bleeds in kids :3 Things you must know
Management of Pediatric epistaxis:Scientific Paper
Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma
Previously published on mycity4kids
Sharing is good Karma!
Thalassemia Screening :Why You Need to Know About this!
High prevalence of Thalassemia in the Indian subcontinent makes 8th May Thalassemia day specially important. Thalassemia is a major public health concern in India.
Eastern India shows a high incidence as also Sindhis..Carrier state high and often goes undiagnosed because it’s remains asymptomatic except for anemia .
Awareness about pre-marital counseling and tests – for all couples should be mandatory to avoid unfortunate problems.High risk of Thalassemia Major babies in couples with carrier state in both parents.
India has the largest number of children with Thalassemia major in the world – about 1 to 1.5 lakhs and almost 42 million carriers of ß (beta) thalassemia trait. About 10,000 -15,000 babies with thalassemia major are born every year.
India accounts for 25% of global,people living with Beta Thalassemia census.
Since there’s a high prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in the eastern part of India, routine premarital screening and genetic counseling is a must.
There’s is upto 19% of Beta thalassemia trait in the Indian population.The Prevalence ranges between 5%to 17% in certain populations.But usually between 3 to 5%
What can be done?
Premarital and pre-natal screening must be made mandatory .
Genetic Counseling
Make testing incentivized.
Screen and educate relatives of all known patients wuth Beta thalassemia and carriers .This will help reach those at risk quickly .
Mandatory screening of all kids at birth.
Affordable tests .
Conclusion:
Transfusion still remain the major modality of treatment. This together with the poor quality of life in the patient and family due to frequent,recurrent transfusions make this a particularly serious problem.
Reference:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37947120/
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1841433
https://journals.innovareacademics.in/index.php/ajpcr/article/download/47258/28122
https://journals.lww.com/jfmpc/fulltext/2024/13040/quality_of_life_and_thalassemia_in_india__a.7.aspx
Jawahirani A, Mamtani M, Das K, Rughwani V, Kulkarni H. Prevalence of ?-thalassaemia in subcastes of Indian Sindhis: Results from a two-phase survey. Public Health 2007;121:193–8
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375549144_Current_Status_of_b-Thalassemic_Burden_in_India
