OPEN WINDOW | Wayan Buschman

“I made this drawing in bed, just as a way to pass a bitter night. There was no deeper ‘meaning’ to this drawing, and I have yet to attribute any meaning to the chapter of life I dedicated to chronic pain. As I make my way through it, I continually ask myself whether it’s even appropriate to seek meaning in the experience of illness. But, in some ways, it is harder to staunch the flow of meaning than it is to let it in. One day, I imagine I will leave the window ajar, and that meaning might perch there while I draw in bed. It is my deepest hope, and also the most frightening.”

Wayan Buschman lives on the high plains of Colorado. She is captivated by desolate landscapes, old-time banjo music, and hand-drawn animation. During a five-year interim of worsening chronic pain, later revealed to be Lyme Disease, she discovered the field of narrative medicine. The genre helped her better understand her own condition, through the experiences of others. See more of her work at wayan buschman.