Loribelle Spirovski

And I basically spent the next three years going to every specialist imaginable, every physio I could get my hands on, you know, rheumatologists, spinal surgeons, everyone, new personal trainers.

I went through so many personal trainers just trying to find someone who can help me.

And all the while, the desperation is just escalating because I didn't know who I was outside of the workhorse that I had become.

And were you still trying to paint at the same time that your body was doing this?

Absolutely.

I didn't know what taking a break meant because, frankly, I thought I was just going to lose myself.

if I didn't work.

And that was one of the things that I learned from my dad, really.

My dad is the biggest workhorse I know.

And the thing that he did that proved to us how much he loved us was work.

So if I kept working, that means I could support my family.

And if I could keep working and support my family, that means he could stop working.

So really, I was trying to dethrone my dad as my family's breadwinner.

I wanted him to stop.

So in a way, it was me trying to show love to him.

But

I just had to figure out what slowing down meant.

I had to figure out what taking a break meant because I was the type who simply couldn't have a holiday.

I didn't even know what weekends were.

Completely.