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Jim Chambliss

Migraine Art: An Interview with Jim Chambliss (part 2)

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Welcome to part 2 of our interview with Jim Chambliss.  Mr. Chambliss is studying the connections between art, epilepsy and migraine.  If you missed the background and part 1, read yesterday’s post, Migraine Art: An Interview with Jim Chambliss.


Why did you add migraine art to the study?

During the course of our study of the influence of epilepsy in art we discovered that many of our artists with epilepsy also have migraines.  An unusually large number of our participants with epilepsy have family members with migraines.  The symptoms often overlap and/or are remarkably similar.  Many of the famous artists who are thought to have had epilepsy, like Vincent van Gogh, Lewis Carroll and Giorgio de Chirico, are thought to have had migraines by some and epilepsy by others.

In order to resolve this contentious issue it is important to look at how both conditions influence art.  It could be that these artists had both migraines and epilepsy.  Some forms of epilepsy and migraines have a great deal in common that we can better understand through how these conditions are shared in visual depiction and in how they influence the creative process.

How you think migraine disease or epilepsy impact creativity?

Some types of epilepsy and migraines can trigger visual illusions and hallucinations.  This novelty leads to some very novel thought which is one of the core elements of creativity.  In addition there can, on occasion, be a hyper-stimulation and hyper-synthesis of creative thought that our study will help to explain.

What do you hope to accomplish with this study?
I hope to bring about a better understanding of the people behind the art.

What has surprised you the most so far in your research?

There is something that has a great influence in the development of a certain type of art that has been most intriguing and profound.  However, I will have to wait on answering that question until the collection of information is complete and the results are fully assessed.

Do you still need people for the study?  How can they be involved?

We still need artists, by hobby or by trade, who have any type of migraines and epilepsy to participate in this study.  We also ask for their family members to participate as a group for comparison, regardless of whether they are artistic.  To learn more about this study please see www.sparksofcreativity.blogspot.com or contact me by email.

What can you tell us about yourself that might surprise us?
When I arrived in Australia, people would often call me “cheeky.”  I had no idea what that meant.  I was relieved to learn that it describes someone who is funny and likes to joke around.  Now, my nieces in the USA call me “Cheeky Uncle Jim.”

Anything else you’d like us to know?

Jim, Nicola and baby Zac

My wife, Nicola, and I just had wonderful baby boy named Zachary Adam Chambliss (ZAC) on the 14th of October.  I met my wife within three weeks after arriving in Melbourne Australia for my Ph.D. studies in creative arts and medicine.  I was confronted with problems with the stigma of brain injury and epilepsy after the injuries.  It was awkward in dating, particularly when I could not drive.  I literally could see the change on a woman’s facial expression when I would first tell her that I have epilepsy and a brain injury.

Nicola is trained in injury management.  When I told her that I had epilepsy she didn’t bat and eye.  She admires what I have accomplished in overcoming these challenges and in my life as a whole.  We fell in love quickly and completely.  This wonderful blessing of finding my soul-mate and having a baby makes my life much more complete and enjoyable.

Again, to see some migraine and epilepsy art, to learn more about the epilepsy and migraine art study, and about Jim Chambliss, visit the Sparks of Creativity blog.

Thanks, Jim, for the interview!  We look forward to hearing the results of the study.

Migraine Art: An Interview with Jim Chambliss

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We’ve always had an interest in migraine, headache, and art in general here.  Migraine disease, chronic headache, and cluster disease have inspired fascinating art forms throughout the centuries.

Now Jim Chambliss is heading up some research to better understand both migraine art and epilepsy art.  In this interview, we talk with Mr. Chambliss about his own experiences with migraine, and his interest in migraine art and this particular study.

Tell us briefly what happened in 1998.

Jim Chambliss

I suffered a brain injury in a car accident in 1998.  It was initially diagnosed with a minor concussion, to go along with the knee, neck and back injuries.  Strange things were happening to me.  I generally felt ‘out of it’ and had trouble with my mental focus.  I began having what I later learned were partial and complex-partial seizures.

About three months later I had a tonic seizure, stiffened and fell flat on my face on a hard-wood floor.  I woke in the hospital with no memory of what had happened.  I had some minor cognitive damage that impacted on my ability to do math, process words and organize my thoughts.

What kinds of migraine symptoms did you experience?
Following the seizure and face plant I began having occasional migraines and headaches.  I had nausea, problems with spatial awareness, tinnitus, fatigue and other odd sensations.  The thing that I hated most was the sudden unexpected jolt of pain down the center of my head.  The migraines, for the most part, went away in a few years.  My longer term struggle has been with epilepsy.  However, some of the symptoms of migraines are hard to distinguish from the numerous symptoms of complex partial seizures.

Tell us about Puzzled.
Everyone can relate to the complexity and frustration of trying to resolve a Rubik’s Cube.  Most never complete the puzzle.  Some discard or destroy the cubes all together.  Some take off the stickers to put them back in a mislabelled way to superficially look as though the puzzle is resolved.  Few persist to solve the complex and frustrating puzzle.

Resolving the perplexing puzzle of brain injury, epilepsy and migraines is almost overwhelming when considering the brain has more than 100 billion nerve cells and a trillion supporting cells.  This makes it virtually impossible to fully understand complex combinations of neurological interaction used to create a work of art.  We can, however, see patterns within science, psychology, history and visual art that can bring us somewhat closer to resolution of how epilepsy and migraines can influence art.   “Puzzled” represents my quests to better understand what happened to my brain and how it influenced both my art and my life.

There are many layers of thought in the sculpture “Puzzled.” People often do not want to listen to our problems and challenges as often as we need to vent and to be understood.  In my sculpture “Puzzled,” and other art, I was extremely detailed in my need for self-expression and personal awareness.  People can take away as much or as little as they want to extract from the piece without me being intrusive on their time or having to talk about matters that are too personal. (note: see a picture of Puzzled here)

What inspired you to start studying epilepsy and art?
I studied epilepsy in order to fix the problems cope with the rest of the impacts as best as I can.  I studied art because, subsequent to my brain injury, thinking became visually hyperactive.  Working with things that were visual were for a long period, easier for me that dealing with spoken or written words and numbers.  I began doing award-winning art when I had no recognizable artistic talents before the injury.

On the one hand I found something I could do well.  On the other, I had an incurable curiosity about my personal metamorphosis.  We all deserve the chance to learn about our circumstances with epilepsy and migraines and to be better understood by others.  This study opens a window of understanding that will hopefully lead to greater understanding, respectful empathy and increased appreciation for what can be accomplished by people with epilepsy and migraines.

Come back tomorrow for part 2 of this interview!

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