Phil Hansen – His Disability Led to a New Art

Disability and Healing

Have you heard of Phil Hansen? If you’ve ever struggled with creating of felt limited by circumstance, you’ll want to tune into this phenomenal artist.

The story of self taught professional multi-media artist, speaker, and author, is an incredible example of what’s possible from embracing limitations and adversity and putting it to work for you.

We all love good stories, and Phil Hansen’s life is very much a hero’s journey story. We’re most inspired and are certain you will be as well.

From Disability to Discovery

Phil Hansen’s early art interest was an unusual style of creating art forms, shape, visual depictions through thousands of tiny dots. It turns out that while Phil was ardently focused on this medium, he didn’t realize it was causing damage to the nerves affecting his hands.

When his hands started shaking so much that he couldn’t draw straight lines. His determined response was to hold his artist tools all the tighter. Subsequently, his condition worsened.

He finally went to a doctor who revealed that he had irreversible nerve damage. Phil left art altogether for a dark time in his life. But you know how it is. An artist must create. Fortunately for Phil he followed the call of his artist soul and returned to create in a vastly larger and more expansive way.

“After having gone from a single approach to art, I ended up having an approach to creativity that completely changed my artistic horizons.”
Phil Hansen, author, self-taught professional artist, overcame physical limitations to create new styles of art

SOURCE: Phil Hansen keynote for Adobe

Angels in Our Midst

We never know how and where the voice of wisdom may occur. The journey of life is enriched by expanding our presence in each day.

Self reflection, introspection and wonder help us maintain a learner’s mindset. To approach life with the unfettered openness and curiosity of a child helps to keep us open to significantly greater opportunities and more rapid growth.

Phil heard the message he needed to transform his life when his doctor said: “Embrace the shake.”

If Phil had been filled with anger, self pity, or resentment, he would’ve missed mining the gold in the moment.

“We need to first be limited in order to become limitless.“
~Phil Hansen, author, self-taught professional artist, overcame physical limitations to create new styles of art^[1]https://www.ted.com/talks/phil_hansen_embrace_the_shake/discussion

Limited to Limitless

Phil Hansen definitely embraced his limitations with a giant bear hug and unlimited curiosity. Now, Phil Hansen knows that limitations can actually enhance creativity.

When you learn to work within the constraints of what is, you discover access to new realms of creativity, where each open door to explore, leads to more.

Creativity is like air; it can permeate anywhere that isn’t closed off.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Want more art and creativity quotes?

YouTube Phenomenon – Phil Hansen

Phil Hansen’s Story

You’ll want to view Phil Henson’s hallmark keynote story of his journey from limitations to limitless.

Artists are quirky, different, weird. Well actually, that describes us people in general. Chase Jarvis speaks to that in his book Creative Calling where he explains why your weirdness is the key to your creativity..

There may be clues when others made fun of you as a kid. Those very things could be what unleashes your creative connections with your audience.

Phil Hansen has found a way to connect with his audience through YouTube, which has led to tremendous growth as an artist and inspirational keynote speaker. We especially liked this next one.

Phil Hansen’s ‘When I was 7’ Project

Get Gratitude.

The Day is the Way.

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