About the Artist

Carly Jackson

My name is Angel, and I have been battling chronic illness and health issues since I was 14. I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and an autoimmune disorder at 17 and a heart condition at 20. I?ve been in and out of hospitals for my entire high school career, have been through multiple programs and facilities, and have yet to find the source of many of my health problems. Even though I?m only 20, I have to use a cane most days to maintain my balance, and I can only walk so far before my heart begins to overwork itself. I started getting serious about my art around the same time my health started deteriorating. I used it as a way to express myself and distract myself from my reality. It wasn?t until I got into college that my art really took off, though. I began using my medical and other traumas in my art to tell a story to the viewer of a life much different than their own. I continue to live by my artistic motto: Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

Location: On display at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute