Christina's story

Christina Marshall uses her graphic design pieces to allow her to be more positive about epilepsy.

Christina Marshall is a graphic designer who has complex partial epilepsy. She is sharing her graphic design pieces with us to make people more aware of her epilepsy and how she copes with it.

"My graphic design pieces are about what inspires me about London and it allows me to become more open-minded on how I would like people to see epilepsy. 

Epilepsy does not define who she is

I have epilepsy but I do not let epilepsy define who I am. I have been inspired by my epilepsy to create all of the graphic design pieces I have done so far.

Creating new pieces allows me to release the tension that goes on in my mind due to the seizures I have every day.

Artwork gets her through seizures

I have had uncontrolled seizures for 10 years. My artwork is what gets me through.

My seizures come in three different forms. I have absence seizures, a funny horrible noise seizure and another where I pick at my clothes. All of these make me feel disoriented and confused. I have day and night-time seizures on a daily basis.

I have seizures when I wake up and I'm generally tired and in pain. The seizures often wear me out and sometimes it's hard for me to concentrate because I always get anxious and stressed.

London as an inspiration

London mainly inspires me because I love being a Londoner. I love going to a lot of museums and galleries around London such as the National Portrait Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery and Brick Lane. 

When I create my art, it allows me to become more positive because I am expressing my feelings. I keep too many things bottled up inside and when I am designing the graphic design pieces, it allows me to open up and not feel shy.

My friends and family encourage me to keep going and not let epilepsy take over my life. I have epilepsy friends within groups on social media. This allows me to talk to others about what we're all going through.

Although I have seizures every day, creating graphic design pieces helps me to feel less stressed and more relaxed.