AUSTIN, Tex. — Creating is a special way to let others in. 26-year-old Jonah Dillon has gravitated towards art expression for as long as he can remember.
“A lot of the time I’m inspired by the things around me," Dillon said.
His years of work are captured inside a portfolio that lives inside his closet, but his current specialty is happening just outside his room.
Jonah’s medium wasn’t always paint.
Drawing filled a space in his heart for a long time.
“I used to be able to draw and stuff with my hands for most of my life until after high school," Dillon said. "Now I can’t use my arms as much as I used to be able to. I didn’t draw for a while, I didn’t do anything artistic because I couldn’t draw and I didn’t know what to do.”
Art can provide a feeling of freedom — freedoms that for Dillon, dwindled over time.
“My condition it like gets progressively just gets worse and worse," Dillon said.
Instead of focusing on what he didn’t have, he thought about what he did have; his artistic mind and his motorized wheelchair.
“About three years ago I just decided to try it. Me and my grandma went to hobby lobby and bought twelve dollars' worth of supplies. Like tempera paint and poster board," Dillon said.
Jonah has muscular dystrophy. Through the help of friends, nurses and of course his wheels, his artistic freedom hasn’t hindered.
“People seem to really like the paintings more when they know how they were created," Dillon said. “They’re a lot cooler than I ever thought they would be. You shouldn’t let things you can’t control, prevent you from doing what you want.”
It's simply transformed over time.
“Anyone can create art even if they don’t know how or need to find a new way," Dillon said.
To check out Dillion's work and to look into purchasing some of his art. you can head to his website.
