7/25/2020 0 Comments Spoon TheorySpoon Theory is a concept I came across recently, and felt that it was something I should share. It is something not a lot of people know about. I didn't until I became a part of this community. The metaphor depicts a disability accurately and how much energy a person can have with every factor going on in their life. I'm definitely not an expert on it at all. I've done a little bit of research and this is what I have gathered. It was created by Christine Miserandino in 2003. She wrote her essay "The Spoon Theory" which describes a conversation between her and a friend. It was initiated by a question from her friend, asking what it feels like to have lupus (a type of chronic illness). She created the Spoon Theory as a response. This disability metaphor is used to describe the reduced amount of energy available for activities of living. Each activity requires a different amount of spoons (examples listed below), which are "recharged" through rest. When a person runs out of spoons, they have no choice but to rest. The theory is used to describe the planning that goes into conserving and rationing a persons energy. The Spoon Theory is also used to facilitate discussions between people with limited amounts of energy and those without. For a completely healthy person, it can become difficult to understand this side of chronic illness. When you're healthy, you have a day full of choices. This is because you have unlimited spoonfulls of energy. Someone with a chronic illness has to conserve their spoons since they only have a few. Throughout my research I've gathered that the number of spoons are typically between 12 and 15. "If you only had 12 spoons a day, how would you use them? Take 1 spoon away if you didn't sleep well, forgot to take your meds, or skipped a meal. Take 4 spoons away if you have a cold," Christine says in her infographic.
Be sure to check out her website and infographic on the spoon theory for a more indepth description. Link is below.
Click here for her website In honor of this topic, I have decided to base one of my painting off of it. "Spoonie" is available on redbubble and in the shop tab. The painting itself is supposed to portray a neon sign, starting with pink and going in reverse rainbow order. Fun fact, this was actually not my original intention for the painting. I began mixing the first color, red, making the center lighter. Though, I ended up making the color too light and it began to look more like pink. I guess it could be called a happy accident. Anyways, each spoon is drawn in a slightly different style to make the painting slightly more interesting. Click here for the painting Feel free to message me/comment if my description of the spoon theory is not clear. I hope this gives a little introduction to the concept, but be sure to check out the original.
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