You can purchase the book at the following website: http://www.squareup.com/store/robertflattWatch a video about the book and the Nautilus Gold Award -See below PREFACE The concept for Healing Art began as a collection of my photographs that are currently displayed in the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) Department of Neurology in the Houston Medical Center. This permanent exhibit consists of 49 photographs printed in sizes ranging from 20 x30 inches to 48 x36 inches. Half of them are printed on canvas, and the other half on aluminum. They are displayed in waiting areas, hallways, conference rooms, offices and examination rooms.
The subtitle is "Don't Let Anything Ruin Your Day'' because I think that is where we have a chance of defeating debilitating disease. We cannot change the fact that we have the disease, but we can by God not let it ruin today. Maybe tomorrow, but not today.
My relationship with both the Department of Neurology and the collection of images that hang there both began in 1999, soon after I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Dr. Joseph Jankovic at the Baylor College of Medicine became my neurologist and my lifelong friend helping me battle this disease.
During my examinations, I began giving him large format prints of my photography. He and his staff framed them and hung them in their offices. Dr. Eli Mizrahi, Chairman of the Neurology Department at Baylor College of Medicine, became familiar with my photographs during visits to Dr. Jankovic's offices, when the Neurology Department moved to a new space, they decided to display my photographs.
Art can be an important part of the healing process. I have learned this first hand. Dr. Mizrahi and Dr. Jankovic hope that patients will not only enjoy, but also understand for themselves the healing benefits of art, and how it can affect the autonomic nervous system, hormonal balance, brain neurotransmitters, the immune system, and the blood flow to all organs in the body.
Once I saw the impact my images had in the clinic, I got the idea to write a book, or really a book-within-a-book. The reader would first encounter it as a photography book that contains images that hang at the BCM Neurology Department, as well as others that I believe have the same healing energy. Along with these photographs of moments that have had such healing power for me would be encouraging words-- a collection of vignettes, battle plans and thoughts for coping with a debilitating disease.
The idea was for a person faced with the disease to pick the book up from time to time and get inspired to not let it ruin his day -- both from the beauty the photographs capture and the words from someone who has walked, perhaps not in that person’s particular shoes, but along a similar path.
Once I began showing early drafts of Healing Art to others, I began to see how the beauty that can heal the spirit of a person dealing with the challenges of a neurological disease also can heal the spirit of a caretaker--or anyone who encounters debilitating struggles.
Whatever your current situation, I hope you will enjoy these pictures. I enjoyed creating the original exhibit for people who, like me, seek treatment for a neurological disorder, like my Parkinson's Disease, and for their families and care providers.
And I have enjoyed creating this book for you. Perhaps it will make you smile.
Life is good!
Robert Flatt 2015
You can purchase the book at the following website: http://www.squareup.com/store/robertflatt