Creative Arts Hastened My Recovery
It was a long struggle, but Caroline finally made her dreams come to life
Caroline Whittle was enjoying life on the Isle of Wight as a freelance illustrator when her health took a dive. “I had big plans to create illustrated children’s books and was excited about the future,” she explains, “but a period of intense stress and emotional upheaval wiped me out and I became very ill. At first, I thought I had ‘flu, but as memories dropped into an abyss and everyday activities became impossible, it became clear it was something more. Noise, bright lights and smells became unbearable. 18 months and three baffled doctors later, I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalitis, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, caused by the Epstein Barr virus. Doctors told me to rest and I did little else. I became very depressed, couldn’t work, and spent lots of time in a darkened room, sleeping.
“I spent a lot of time watching my guinea pigs as I slowly regained my strength, and started painting portraits of my pets. It was therapeutic and hastened my recovery.
“My Flying Carpet painting is my most loved, so I wrote the story behind it. During my long struggle to resume my career, that story came to life and I turned it into a picture book. It’s a tale of life not turning out as you’d hoped, then magical things happen and dreams come true. It reflects my own story; I made my dream a reality, and my recovery was dramatically helped by the therapeutic power of the creative arts.” Caroline’s website is WWW.OUTOFTHEHUTCH.COM