Amy Greatbanks has always been a creative person, but living with ankylosing spondylitis has shifted her away from dancing and towards painting.
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"Creativity is something that you can't really put a lid on. You can't just say, 'Oh, if I can't dance anymore, then I'm no longer creative'," Mrs Greatbanks said.
Her latest artwork, Deep Blue - I am stars and the sea, is five canvases of swirling blue brush strokes and inspiring words from her friend Kathy Ward's poem.
It relates to the freedom of dancing she rarely gets to experience since her diagnosis in 2018, due to her pain.
"My body is still my home and, well, it doesn't move how I would love to, but I can still dance with my art and in my heart as well," Mrs Greatbanks said.
Fellow artist Nicci Carlsen also knows what it's like to replace dancing with art, since being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis.
Her works are on display at the same Spill the Tea exhibition in Belconnen, among eight other artists from the Disabili-Tea group.
One of Mrs Carlsen's works, Art Like Nobody's Watching, uses leftover rhinestones from her old burlesque dancing costume.
"My previous life is no longer, and now this is the life that I have. So for me, it was sort of, there's grief in there, but the grief doesn't have to be bad," Mrs Carlsen said.
A separate work, Rainbow Stream, uses diamond dots on canvas and represents parts of her life she has watched "float away" while living with chronic illness.
"I've lost my ability to go to certain things that I really like, like going to choir. I lost my ability to work," Mrs Carlsen said.
Despite the challenges, like fighting for NDIS support and using a powered wheelchair, she says Rainbow Stream also represents some positive changes.
Mrs Carlsen now spends more time painting at home and has many new friends she met in the Disabili-Tea group, which she joined just prior to COVID. It's the first specific space for queer people with disabilities she has encountered.
"There are queer disabled people in our community who need somewhere to be and know that we can connect with other people," said Mrs Carlsen.
The social support group meets fortnightly on Wednesday mornings on Zoom, where they share experiences, hear from experts and learn about services.
Mrs Greatbanks, who began participating in the group about a year ago, said it was only after their first Zoom session she "realised just how isolated, lonely and low" she had been feeling.
"I felt instantly welcomed, included, and seen. I finally felt a sense of belonging that had been missing from my life for about three years," Mrs Greatbanks said.
With the group's funding from the Department of Social Services due to cease at the end of June, members are concerned about its survival. They hope it will continue into the future.
"When we see ourselves in others, we are home," Mrs Greatbanks said.
"When we have a sense of home, we are stronger and are more able to live a fulfilling, authentic and enjoyable life."
- Spill the Tea Disabili-Tea art exhibition is at Belconnen Community Centre until June 13.
