Monthly Archives: April 2015

April 2015 Artist of the Month: Celebrating the Work of Artists Affected by Multiple Sclerosis

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MSAA is very proud to present our 2015 Art Showcase – celebrating the work of artists affected by MS.

We have received many wonderful submissions from across the country and are delighted to share their work and their stories with you. Please visit our online gallery to view all of the new submissions.

April Artist of the Month:
Michelle Hotchkiss – Palmer, AK

 Michelle Hotchkiss - Wilberforce the Rabbit

About the Artist:
“I live on a small farm in a small town in Alaska with my husband who is very supportive and wonderful, a very large dog, and my dog-tolerant cat. I have two wonderful adult children and two of the cutest grandchildren ever born.

After 15 years, MS started to slow me down to where I am no longer able to lead the life I once had. This led me into looking for new hobbies that I could do in spite of the limitations. I tried scrapbooking but it was very expensive and I wasn’t satisfied coloring in stamps, so I decided to try drawing and found out I was pretty good at it. This led me deeper into drawing and painting and exploring different types of art such as mixed media and art journaling. I continue to explore other mediums and art styles and whatever makes me happy.

I am a big believer that hobbies are great for a person’s mental health and provide a sense of satisfaction and pleasure, which help counteract the things that MS has taken away.”
Read more

Be inspired – please send an online card featuring artwork by MS artist Michelle Hotchkiss and spread awareness of MS and MSAA.

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Preparing for Spring

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Welcome April! We here at MSAA are looking forward to April and the wonderful blog posts scheduled. When thinking about spring, it is difficult not to think about spring cleaning. It’s a time to (hopefully) put away some of those winter sweaters and fuzzy socks and breakout the shorts and sandals. This period of transition is also a great time to think about organization and cleaning.

Did you know there are several suggested origins for spring cleaning based on religious and cultural practices? One is traced to the Jewish celebration of Passover. Prior to the celebration, the home is cleaned in order to rid the home of any bread that is leavened with yeast. Another suggested origin states that prior to the Chinese New Year, the Chinese sweep their floors and clean their homes to rid it of bad luck and misfortune that may have accumulated during the previous year.

Spring cleaning origins also date back to prehistory, and represents the time when it was easiest to conduct a good cleaning of living spaces. Extra light allowed people additional time to truly see the messy state of their caves, or huts.

In preparation for this month’s topics, we have linked below several blog posts that have been written highlighting organization and cleaning. This topic will continue throughout the month of April, please feel free to leave a comment under the blog with personal tips or suggestions.

Please note: MSAA offices will be closed Friday, April 3rd.

Enjoy these pieces over the holiday weekend:

Get Organized: Tips for starting your new organized lifestyle.

Spring Cleaning: The concept of spring cleaning can represent anything you want it to.

Keeping Track of your MS: “Tips” on how I keep track of my MS.

Resources:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-hints-tips/cleaning-organizing/spring-clean-in-spring2.htm

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