RSI...

Is short for Repetitive Stress Injury and having it is not fun!  I've been hitting the hammer with a bit too much intensity of late and my elbow is not at all happy.  Our hands and arms are so important, especially in the field of creativity!  Frankly, it's a wonder that those extremities recover from the abuse they receive.  I've had four operations on my hands in the past thirty years - carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand (the result of knitting far too much when I had my yarn shop and fiber studio) and several years later I suffered from severe tendonitis in my left wrist which resulted in a second surgery.   Then there were the hand injuries that weren't caused by work - a severe puncture wound inflicted on my left hand while I was opening a package with scissors required emergency plastic surgery, and then there was the cat bite that severed the tendon that works my right thumb.   Fortunately our index fingers have two tendons, so one was removed and used to reattach the severed tendon.  After six weeks in a cast and several months of occupational therapy, my right hand was once again in working order, although I wouldn't go so far as saying "it's like new" - indeed, it does have some limitations.  I certainly have my battle scars!  So I've learned that when my hands or arms begin to feel overused, it's time to switch gears and give them a rest which, thankfully, I'm able to do by working with polymer and metal clay.   Today I'll be making some tear away textures with polymer clay - I'll use them to imprint text on metal clay.  My order of Copprclay and FASTfire Bronzclay has just arrived so I'll be creating with these materials while my elbow takes a rest!