I’d like to introduce you to Jo Sunshine, a very aptly named artist. In my opinion, she is a role model for what the theory of positive psychology looks like when applied to the everyday life of a person. Her spirit shines through her artwork and in her attitude to life, despite the challenges she has had to face and overcome. She demonstrates optimism, resilience, creativity, kindness and gratitude in almost everything she says and does.
In 2006, Jo experienced a serious motorway accident that caused her to suffer a brain injury. Several operations saved her life but unfortunately, she lost her eyesight. Becoming blind was a traumatic event especially as prior to the accident she had enjoyed drawing and painting. After a long and slow recovery process, she was unable to drive or work and was forced to move from her rural location to Glasgow city where she could more easily access public transport and other services. To begin with, she was homeless, but she received a lot of support from The Big Issue organisation and became one of The Big Issue magazine vendors.
Some years later Jo experimented by creating large murals on the walls of her flat and found it enjoyable to be reacquainted with her artistic skills. She soon ran out of wall space and then bought some good-quality wax crayons and started to draw on paper. Despite being totally blind in one eye, with only a misty blur in the other, Jo found that by using bold colours and big designs she could make out the shapes and she has been creating pictures daily ever since.
After seeing some of her work in a local print shop Jo was contacted by a manager from the charity Home-Start who invited Jo to visit and talk about her art. This marked the beginning of an important relationship. Jo received a lot of support from the charity and in return she has helped them by designing a volunteer thank you card and Christmas card to be sold to raise funds for them. Nowadays, Jo regularly sells her art and a large percentage of her earnings are donated to Home-Start and other charities that support homelessness. One of her drawings that she donated to Captain Tom Moore on his 100th birthday was reproduced as a greeting card with profits going to NHS funds. Jo’s home is packed with her art, which is in excess of 8,000 original drawings!
The most striking thing about Jo is her infectious laugh, her positive outlook on life and her ability to accept and regard whatever life brings her as ‘interesting’.
You can see some of Jo’s art on her Facebook page.
Audio Version
And below is an interview she did for BBC Scotland