Creative Challenge Finalists Revealed!

It is my pleasure to announce the eight finalists from the Creativity Challenge! If your artwork is pictured below, and you would like your fabulous finalist prize of a Sjogren's syndrome awareness bracelet, send your name and mailing address to: juliaschulia (at) gmail (dot) com. I was blown away by the thought and talent that went into these designs! Below each image is the description that each artist attached to their entry.

Here they are, in no particular order, and congratulations!

Attached is a copy of the drawing that my son did for me. 

At first it was just the water drop with arms and legs. Then he added the blue. 

I told him that it needed a cape. Every super hero should have a cape. 

When I told him that 9 out of 10 people with Sjogren's are women and that maybe "it" should be a girl he added the bow and eyelashes. The super hero boots were added last. 

Nixie is actually a German name meaning "little water sprite"- how cute! 

Anyway...here she is. Enjoy. 

Are the finalists going to be determined over drinks in the Bearded Dog Pub? 

Here is a series for you I call Moss Woman.

The crystals are supposed to represent moisture, like the water bottles we carry around, the eye drops, every thing that our bodies lack and crave. Please disregard the hand with dry skin in the background.

Don't know if this is what you had in mind but reflects the way I feel most days.

My image is a solar flare.  To be brief, I couldn't think of any image that would seem universal to Sjogren's - the only symptoms that every Sjoggie I know has is fatigue, and a close second is brain fog, and I have no idea how to visualize these challenges.  I also don't know of any test, treatment, or device that would resonate with all Sjoggies.  So, I thought instead of what SjS means to me, and since the sun was my primary trigger (and remains a constant threat for life), a solar flare seemed perfect.  It symbolizes both a burst of energy which we usually consider positive but for us can precede a flare, as well as a destructive, uncontrollable, and barely-predictable force. 

I got down to business attempting to take this task on. And I found that I just couldn't follow the rules! Arg! I had a design busting through all the other ideas, rumbling around in my brain, and it just wouldn't stop until I got it down on paper. It turned out that I loved it SO much that I didn't have it in me to create anything else. 

(Note: I thought this design was fantastic! So we made it a finalist -- although the artist is correct in that she didn't follow the rules specifically, so won't qualify as the first-prize winner. Sorry. - Julia)

A magnifying glass, you know, the kind with the handle that the inspector carries.  Because we are always trying to find our way through this illness and looking for clues from our bodies.

 The idea is a lapel pin that is green and in the shape of a leaf. The single leaf is a symbol of happiness, so would be a reminder to not let the illness rob us of our happiness.

It's going to be hard to choose one winner, but we're on it. And yes, I'm thinking adult beverages served in the Bearded Dog Pub will be involved.

The winner will receive a handmade felted wool sculpture of their design.

Stay tuned!