How clay sculpting helps me cope with my MASH diagnosis
Art therapy can be a valuable tool in navigating life with liver disease
The first time I ever held a ball of clay — OK, it was probably Play-Doh — I felt a strong connection to creating things with my hands. I grew up on the red clay floor of the mountains in northeastern Utah. My friends and I would sometimes transform the substance into something malleable, creating art from just a little dirt and water. It was a joyful part of my childhood. Now, it’s a way to relax and reflect.
But when I was diagnosed in 2008 with metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a form of fatty liver disease, it had been years since I’d transformed a lump of clay into something fun, something hopeful. After navigating one of the sickest periods of my life, I needed to reconfigure myself. I thought, why not have fun doing things that brought me joy as a kid?
I wrote wild stories, country songs, and slightly demented soap operas about people at church, but I needed that squishy, nostalgic potential that I’d once found in clay. So off to the craft store I went.
After navigating the dopamine rush of combing through the aisles, I came across a 5-pound bucket of air-dry clay, which remains alabaster through shaping and drying. You can dry it in a low-temperature oven or, as the label implies, allow it to air-dry over a few days. Then, you can paint it, sand it, glaze it, or leave it. I was excited by the potential for projects.
The first one I had in mind? Sculpting a tiny liver.
Once I set up my little art studio on my kitchen table, I looked at the lump of clay in my hand while studying various liver illustrations on my phone. It seemed a simple task. As I reviewed the pictures I’d found, I was struck by how this incredible organ looked so basic on the outside. It is deceptively simple-looking, but many people might be surprised to learn about all the incredible things going on inside of it.
As I fashioned my humble chunk of white clay into some semblance of a liver, I found myself laughing at the start of this mini-version of my own liver. These organs are such oddballs. They don’t seem to make sense. And yet, we’d die without them.
I was super proud of that first liver and had planned to create more, but as it often goes in life, we get away from things and things get away from us. I began creating other art, including holiday gifts for friends and family. I had planned to sculpt a liver for my doctor, but I still haven’t gotten to it.
I think that sculpting that one tiny representation of my own liver helped me see my MASH situation as less scary. It wasn’t this giant, roaring monster living inside of my body; it was a tiny piece of the whole of me, but one that needed a little extra love and care.
Finding ways to put your diagnosis in perspective can be extremely helpful in coping with it. Maybe you’re not one for sculpting clay, but if you enjoy writing poetry, there’s nothing wrong with going a little literary for your liver. If it helps you gain perspective on a sometimes frightening diagnosis, have fun creating. And don’t worry, you don’t have to show anyone else, including your doctor, unless you want to. Your secret is safe with me, Leonardo Liver DaVinci.
Note: Liver Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Liver Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to liver disease.
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