AnaKacia Shifflet

What started as a therapy project to help me cope with the ins and outs of the initial shutdown, as a parent, business owner, and to also help me navigate the new and misunderstood symptoms of Long COVID I was experiencing, I turned to throwing paint. But not just any paint, or at any thing. No I wanted to throw paint on a dress I would design for the very purpose of destroying it. During the days I could not physically work on the project, due to my illness, I came up with the plan, in detail on how I would go about destroying it. I knew it would turn out awful, but I still wanted everything to have meaning. I cried while I tossed, poured, and sprayed my creation with paint. It felt incredible, a huge release. And surprisingly, in the end, the dress came out inspiring and I found I loved it! I was not the only one, however. The response to my original painted dress experience led to local media coverage, a second painted dress project, a gallery/fashion show, and numerous opportunities to speak about Long COVID and bring awareness to this debilitating illness.  

Throughout the majority of the last five years I have continued to use projects, including the painted dress, to help me navigate the ins and outs of this new and misunderstood chronic illness. Through writing notes and journal entries, dappling in art on procreate, and continuing my love of design and fashion, I was able to find joy and purpose despite my own personal struggles. All of these mediums became a form of therapy, which lead to new opportunities I never would have considered. Through this process I came to realize the value of these projects. Not as a distraction, but as a tool. A tool that can be shared and utilized. 

On March 2024 I launched my first book, about my Long COVID struggles and the painted dress project. Throwing Paint: The Power of Creativity in the Face of Long COVID. I hope to use the book as a spring board for other projects to continue to support and advocate for the chronic illness community. This also includes the plan to launch The Painted Dress Project with the goal of bringing creative outlet to others. It is a work in progress but one that I have found rekindles my own passions in a way that also helps others.