Our Conditions, Our Lives YPFScotland Versus Arthritis

Art Write Us is a collection of art and creative writing made by young artists taking part in the Joint Creativity project 2022-23. The audio was on display at the Art Write Us Exhibition, Edinburgh March 2023.

Exploring the power of words, the works illustrate the positive effect creativity can have on wellbeing and the impact arthritis and related conditions have on the young people living with them.

In this mini podcast, the artists read 3 of their poems before going on to talk about the process of making art at the Joint Creativity workshops and reflecting on words that remind them of home, the doctors and art workshops. The podcast starts and finishes with a clapping sound created by the shaking of multiple posca pens.

In this podcast you will hear the voices of Charlie, Lucy, Sarah, Skye and Thomas.

In this BONUS episode of Our Conditions, Our Lives Sarah from Scotland and Nathan from England chat about their diagnosis and experiences in clinic. They talk about how they have learned to take more control of their appointments and share some of the tips they have picked up along the way. Sarah and Nathan also guide listeners through the Arthritis Tracker app and talk about how they have found it useful.

In this bonus episode, staff member Jay, volunteer Charlotte and participant Carrie discuss their experiences of coming out as a teenager while navigating their conditions. They chat about the similarities in the process of acceptance for their bodies, their gender and their sexualities and how finding community and peers was vital on their journey. We also hear from Kiana at the very start who tells us about what Pride month means to her and why she thinks it is important. 

Happy Pride Listeners!

In this episode Megan and Cassidy talk us through their early career choices and how they have been impacted by their conditions and both found their way through unconventional routes. They discuss how important it is to learn to advocate for yourself and ask for help from teachers, employers and colleagues in order to succeed and not to listen to negative voices. 

In this week's episode Cara and Steph talk about the impact that their conditions have had on their relationships with friends and family. They both interview a close friend and discuss their condition openly, in Steph's case for the first time. Both Cara and Steph talk about how useful and important it is to have the confidence to communicate with friends and family about your health and happiness and that having friends with similar life experience and diagnosis is really helpful. 

Enjoy!

In this episode, learn from Verity and Jess as they talk about how their artforms help them to manage their pain. Jess tells us about how she loves to sing and how her choir has helped her to grow in confidence. Verity explains how learning about make-up and practicing techniques helps to lift her mood and express herself. 

You will also hear from Alice and Jay from the Versus Arthritis staff team who talk about their project Joint Creativity - a self management and art project for young people with arthritis and related conditions. 

Enjoy!