I’m an artist by trade: a sculptor and a bookmaker. Art is comfort food for me. It’s therapeutic. It allows me to forget, for a little bit, that I have two different kinds of breast cancer.

When Lisa1 came to me with a block of clay to create a labyrinth, I was all over it. I made it during a chemo session. It took the entire time.

I used a rolling pin to flatten the clay and make a base. I rolled out more clay into rope shapes. I used those to form the walls of the labyrinth. I added a little bit of water to try to make the clay as smooth as glass. Then I let it air-dry.

I'm Buddhist, so walking meditation is important to me. After chemo, though, going for a walk is challenging if I don’t have my strength back. With the clay labyrinth, I can do a tabletop version of walking meditation. I start at the outside and slowly trace the path to the center and back with my finger. The clay is cool to the touch. It’s calming. It centers me.

Chemo sucks. But art therapy gives me something to look forward to. I’m grateful for that, and for my entire care team.

 

Lydia Reynolds and her husband, Greg, have a daughter, Adelade.

Lydia sitting at a table with clay on the surface. She is wearing a face-mask but is smiling underneath. She is also wearing a head scarf and glasses

Photo: Courtesy of Lydia Reynolds

Note

  1. Lisa Shea is a Cleveland Clinic art therapist.