Life & Work with Priya Rama of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Priya Rama.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I paint the images I experience inside my head during episodes of chronic migraines. I have had migraines since I was very little, and have experienced ‘color fields’ inside my head. These have varied in their scope of color, textural elements, movement and dimension. A few years ago, I had an out-of-the-norm migraine experience, in that the colors were intense and swirled around a lot more. They drew me in to such an extent that I was compelled to paint them! It felt like I was painting a snapshot from the experience, something that I remembered and went right back to. Doing so changed how my body responded to the pain experience: Instead of a ‘flight and flee’, it was more of an acceptance. That shift in perspective changed everything, in how I live with a chronic pain disease.

As I painted more and more, I realized I needed to start sharing my story and my work with people. Especially the fact that engaging in creativity when dealing with pain, stress, grief etc, changes how the body responds to that pain. Art making reduces cortisol and releases seratonin and endorphins. What you think about during the pain changes how you experience that pain.

With my paintings, I am bringing to consciousness what is occurring at a deeper level. And in sharing them widely, I am making public what is otherwise a private, personal, inside experience.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As an abstract expressionist painting a personal experience, my paintings are not taken seriously. Some people are dismissive, not understanding that these paintings come from a trained artist, who understands the elements and principles of art and design and who is able to take an internal experience and put that on canvas. Others simply see them as objects coming from pain and walk away from them. I, however, am fascinated what the body and brain can do, and is doing under duress. The symphony of colors simply cannot be ignored! So, I keep painting, and if someone relates to my work, I view that as a blessing!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I paint my migraines, rather i should say I paint the images I experience inside my head during migrainal episodes. I have come to be recognized as the ‘migraine artist’ and I think of myself as the ‘migraine muse’. If you were to search for migraine art, you’ll find many images that show what the pain of a migraine feels like or how the migraine aura looks. My paintings, on the other hand, show an inside-out perspective of the migraine experience. Because I can paint, I am able to depict how the colors and textures swirl around, triggered by the squeezing pain and photophobia. This is not unique to me because I have met several people who can point to particular paintings and identify them as looking like their migraines!

The new growing interest in headache disorders and understanding migraines as being one symptom of a complex neurological disorder has led to requests of my paintings accompanying articles in scientific and medical journals. This is such a high honor!

What sets me apart is that I now openly talk about how disabling migraines are–I have made public a very personal experience, and i understand that what I do is not for everybody.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a child, I was very shy, keeping to myself mostly, yet very curious. But I was a keen observer of everything going on around me. I was also a big reader, and was constantly drawing or painting. I am highly visual, so everything I learn and remember about the world is in visual terms. Radio and records opened up a different way of understanding the world. We traveled as a family to new places, making many memories and learning so much along the way.

Pricing:

• $150 and up

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.priyarama.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/priyaramaart
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/priyaramaart