Excerpt from

Bomb Magazine Winter 25

 

"A few months ago, everything changed

for Mike. After teaching a class at Yale School

of Art, he was walking to a student exhibition

and was hit by a car. The accident caused a

traumatic brain injury, and he was suddenly

bedridden, unable to process language or

tolerate screens. A week after returning home

from the hospital, he started drawing again,

instinctively, after his wife placed a sketchbook

in his lap and colored pencils next to him. Some

drawings were finished in minutes, others in

longer stretches between naps. Drawing was a

way to release fear, pain, and confusion. When

words failed, the line and drawing remained.

...

The drawings have grown in complexity

as his brain continues to heal. The earliest were

raw emotional bursts, and over time, they are

becoming more structured. Parts are stapled

and pieced together as though his mind were

reassembling itself. By selecting red for ego,

yellow for superego, and blue for id, the mind

takes turns in the visual conversation.

...

A visual diary and a map of recovery.

The drawings aren’t just art objects—they are

proof of resilience and of creativity as a lifeline."

—Bruce Pearson