Los Angeles, CA USA
SEAN
Artisan-Mosaics, Sketch Artist
Former Sargeant USMC
Accomplished Athelete and College Soccer Coach
Survivor of Traumatic Brain Injury
PART I: My Bio "How I Became TBI"
This is the presentation I made as the guest speaker for my buddy's Human Services Class.
On August 14th 1998 I was on my way to the Atlantic Airport to pick up a soccer player from England on a scholarship to play soccer at Tenessee Wesleyan College, where I was the Soccer Coach. I would like to tell you about the wreck, but I don't remember anything, after I left work at Tennessee Wesleyan College that day. I don't even remember when I really woke up from the coma. All Iknow about this period is what I have been told.
I hadn't traveled more than 15 miles when (I am told) I hit a serious rain and hydroplaned off the road and wrapped my car around a tree. When the call went out to the ambulance, Dr. Devain (who heard on his scanner, while on his way home) met the ambulance at the scene. They extracted me from the vehicle and took me to the closest hospital, where I was stabilized and airlifted to a larger trauma hospital in Chattanooga, TN. I remained in a coma for 3 weeks, and then transported to a hospital in Atlanta, GA that specialized in strokes, open, and closed head injuries. I was there until late October of 1998 and then I flew to Jacksonville, FL where I had family and there was a great rehab outpatient therapy. The name of that place is Brooks Rehab. I was there until early March and then I went back to Athens, TN (my home) and I went back to work, while I continued outpatient therapy.
What I can tell you about is the emotional roller coaster I was on afterwards or the different types of therapy that filled my day, for the next two years. I had speech therapy for a short time. But more than
re-learn how to enunciate correctly, I had to learn how share time. I guess from being in the state like sleep for 3 weeks, when I woke up I felt like I had some catching up to do so, I dominated all conversations that I was in. I had lots of other types of therapy. I had speech therapy, physical
therapy, occupational therapy, & cognitive therapy.
To break it down as quickly as I can:
1. Accident-August 14, 1998
2. Coma for 3 weeks
3. Wheelchair for 7 months
4. Walker for 2 months
5. Quad-cane
6. Then Standard Cane (Now I use a standard cane about 50-65% of the
time)
7. I am coming up on my 4th year Anniversary Aug 14,2002 post the accident.
Since I was a Workman's Comp Case, the insurance company stopped my therapy after 2 years. I figured I knew enough to not be dangerous in my own therapy. I continued to go to a gym and work on my own therapy.
How has this injury changed my Life?
WORK:
I was the soccer coach here at Tennessee Wesleyan College, I tried to come back to work, but I could not do the job any longer.
After the soccer season of 1999 the Athletic Director took me into his office and told me that my contract wasn't going to be renewed.
DIVORCE:
I am no longer married. My ex-wife was great at the beginning of my injury, but we grew apart as I improved and our roles changed. I am not sure if I didn't change fast enough or changed to quickly; maybe both in different ways. On July of 2000, my wife asked me for a divorce.
RELATIONSHIP WITH MY DAUGHTER:
I had to re-learn how to be a good father.
ATTEMPT TO FURTHER EDUCATION:
In the fall of 2000, I tried to go back to school thinking I needed to be more qualified for my next profession post TBI. I had a degree in history, but I had not finished my teaching certification.
I started with 9 hours, thinking that I knew I couldn't take the normal load that I had before. I quickly went from 9 to 6 to3 hours and could not retain the information I needed to, in order to pass the courses. Thus my determination to apply my skills and to move forward the best I could despite TBI.
LEARNING TO COPE WITH:
Physical disabilities and mental disabilities-I am hard headed enough to want to try something even though I shouldn't. The best way for me to know if I can do something is trial and error. From what my doctors' thought, I shouldn't have been able to ever walk into this classroom or tell you
about my TBI, if even talk.
Anger-I have always had somewhat of a short fuse, but I am learning
ways to
cope with it. Realizing that when I am frustrated, the best thing to
do is
walk away from my project or whatever and cool down before I continue.
Humility-When I coached I talked about how my players needed a little
swagger in their walk, not cocky but lots of confidence. That is
something
that I have lost, gaining lots of humility and being able to laugh
about the
goofy things I get myself involved in.
Coping-Dealing with remembering the way I used to be and do things and
having to deal with that being lost. This is I pride issue, I guess.
You
know I have been a lot of things in my life with lots of pride each on;
an
athlete, a Marine Corps Sergeant, a Father, and a coach. Now I am
still
most of these things, but my swagger is much different.
My relationship with the Lord-I have been a Christian since I was 7y/o,
but
like a lot of people, as a young adult I found excuses for not going to
church and things I knew I should be practicing. Now, realizing how
close I
have been to death makes me want to make sure I am living a good
Christian
life.
Short Term Memory Problems-The good thing about this deficit is now I
have
an excuse when I forget someone's name.
Ignorance-Dealing with the way I am treated by those who never knew me
(i.e.
When I was working out one day in the gym, I made a comment to a young
women
about how painful I thought the exercise that she doing, was. She
laughed
about it then we did other machines. A little bit later, she said that
I
must have over done it with my leg workout and I must be sore. I told
my
legs were sore, but my brain was-kidding.) She was confused so I gave
him a
short bio, then she was embarrassed about her comment. I told not to
be,
that was a compliment, with her just thinking I was sore and not
disabled.
People do not know what kind of determination and hard work someone
must go
through to get back little things that most take for granted.
My Goals:
1. Total Independence
2. One day being employable again.
3. Maybe start a new family, one day.
PART II: "How I became an Artisan"
On August 14th 1998 I was on my way to the Atlantic Airport to pick up a soccer player from England on a scholarship to play soccer at Tenessee Wesleyan College, where I was the Soccer Coach. I would like to tell you about the wreck, but I don't remember anything, after I left work at Tennessee Wesleyan College that day. I don't even remember when I really woke up from the coma. All Iknow about this period is what I have been told.
I hadn't traveled more than 15 miles when (I am told) I hit a serious rain and hydroplaned off the road and wrapped my car around a tree. When the call went out to the ambulance, Dr. Devain (who heard on his scanner, while on his way home) met the ambulance at the scene. They extracted me from the vehicle and took me to the closest hospital, where I was stabilized and airlifted to a larger trauma hospital in Chattanooga, TN. I remained in a coma for 3 weeks, and then transported to a hospital in Atlanta, GA that specialized in strokes, open, and closed head injuries. I was there until late October of 1998 and then I flew to Jacksonville, FL where I had family and there was a great rehab outpatient therapy. The name of that place is Brooks Rehab. I was there until early March and then I went back to Athens, TN (my home) and I went back to work, while I continued outpatient therapy.
What I can tell you about is the emotional roller coaster I was on afterwards or the different types of therapy that filled my day, for the next two years. I had speech therapy for a short time. But more than
re-learn how to enunciate correctly, I had to learn how share time. I guess from being in the state like sleep for 3 weeks, when I woke up I felt like I had some catching up to do so, I dominated all conversations that I was in. I had lots of other types of therapy. I had speech therapy, physical
therapy, occupational therapy, & cognitive therapy.
To break it down as quickly as I can:
1. Accident-August 14, 1998
2. Coma for 3 weeks
3. Wheelchair for 7 months
4. Walker for 2 months
5. Quad-cane
6. Then Standard Cane (Now I use a standard cane about 50-65% of the
time)
7. I am coming up on my 4th year Anniversary Aug 14,2002 post the accident.
Since I was a Workman's Comp Case, the insurance company stopped my therapy after 2 years. I figured I knew enough to not be dangerous in my own therapy. I continued to go to a gym and work on my own therapy.
How has this injury changed my Life?
WORK:
I was the soccer coach here at Tennessee Wesleyan College, I tried to come back to work, but I could not do the job any longer.
After the soccer season of 1999 the Athletic Director took me into his office and told me that my contract wasn't going to be renewed.
DIVORCE:
I am no longer married. My ex-wife was great at the beginning of my injury, but we grew apart as I improved and our roles changed. I am not sure if I didn't change fast enough or changed to quickly; maybe both in different ways. On July of 2000, my wife asked me for a divorce.
RELATIONSHIP WITH MY DAUGHTER:
I had to re-learn how to be a good father.
ATTEMPT TO FURTHER EDUCATION:
In the fall of 2000, I tried to go back to school thinking I needed to be more qualified for my next profession post TBI. I had a degree in history, but I had not finished my teaching certification.
I started with 9 hours, thinking that I knew I couldn't take the normal load that I had before. I quickly went from 9 to 6 to3 hours and could not retain the information I needed to, in order to pass the courses. Thus my determination to apply my skills and to move forward the best I could despite TBI.
LEARNING TO COPE WITH:
Physical disabilities and mental disabilities-I am hard headed enough to want to try something even though I shouldn't. The best way for me to know if I can do something is trial and error. From what my doctors' thought, I shouldn't have been able to ever walk into this classroom or tell you
about my TBI, if even talk.
Anger-I have always had somewhat of a short fuse, but I am learning
ways to
cope with it. Realizing that when I am frustrated, the best thing to
do is
walk away from my project or whatever and cool down before I continue.
Humility-When I coached I talked about how my players needed a little
swagger in their walk, not cocky but lots of confidence. That is
something
that I have lost, gaining lots of humility and being able to laugh
about the
goofy things I get myself involved in.
Coping-Dealing with remembering the way I used to be and do things and
having to deal with that being lost. This is I pride issue, I guess.
You
know I have been a lot of things in my life with lots of pride each on;
an
athlete, a Marine Corps Sergeant, a Father, and a coach. Now I am
still
most of these things, but my swagger is much different.
My relationship with the Lord-I have been a Christian since I was 7y/o,
but
like a lot of people, as a young adult I found excuses for not going to
church and things I knew I should be practicing. Now, realizing how
close I
have been to death makes me want to make sure I am living a good
Christian
life.
Short Term Memory Problems-The good thing about this deficit is now I
have
an excuse when I forget someone's name.
Ignorance-Dealing with the way I am treated by those who never knew me
(i.e.
When I was working out one day in the gym, I made a comment to a young
women
about how painful I thought the exercise that she doing, was. She
laughed
about it then we did other machines. A little bit later, she said that
I
must have over done it with my leg workout and I must be sore. I told
my
legs were sore, but my brain was-kidding.) She was confused so I gave
him a
short bio, then she was embarrassed about her comment. I told not to
be,
that was a compliment, with her just thinking I was sore and not
disabled.
People do not know what kind of determination and hard work someone
must go
through to get back little things that most take for granted.
My Goals:
1. Total Independence
2. One day being employable again.
3. Maybe start a new family, one day.
PART II: "How I became an Artisan"
Getting ready for Christmas 2000, I realized without an income, I didn't have any money to buy presents. I always have had a creative side and I guess it comes out when it is needed. My brother Reid had a tile saw that I borrowed and I had some experience working with tile. I found out that I could buy a bucket of scrap tile for $10.00. So I went to work, creating scenes and creating things like garden stones. I decided that I had found something that I enjoyed doing and from the response of those who received these gifts.
I gave my brother my first mosaic as his Christmas present 2000. I made a few ore and started to get some positive responses. My borhter's ex-wifeasked me to take the doors off her pantry and break up her little t-cups/coffe cup sets and attach them to the doors. I said I would and she loved how it came out.
After Christmas, I went to Florida to visit some friends. While I was down there, I talked with Peggy, an Interior Designer. Her mother wanted to have a sword mount built for her son. His Marine Corps Non-Commissioned Officer's Sword. Casey her son, got out of the Marine Corps as a Sargeant, just like I did. I sketched out my idea and she went for it. I made it for his birthday in February 2001, they all loved it.
Afterwards, Peggy asked me if I would be interested in making a piece for a model home she was laying out for the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, FL. I went through a few ideas and then my brother had the idea of a dartboard for the game room because that is where my piece would go. That's is what I ended up making and again she loved it.
Opportunities kept coming up to make different things. I had built the table in the community school wood shop and a year later I decided to make it with a chess or checker board, so it served several purposes. I started making birdhouses with an old privacy fence that we tore down and after about two versions of different birdhouses; I came up with the idea of incorporating mosaics in with the birdhouse idea.
I went through a period where I was having a hard time with my medications, so I didn't work on my art for a while.
When a friend of mine, who knew my love of the arts, invited me to a Community Arts League meeting, not only did I attended but also became a member and then agreed to do the exhibit in the public library for the month of July 2002.
I came up with a way to sign these mosaic pieces with my initials I wanted to come up with an easy and compact way to sign my work. My name is Sean Paul Clanton, so I put my S & P inside my C.
MOSIAC PROCESSING:
A friend asked me to describe the process that I go through when I create a mosaic. It really it depends; sometimes I build the piece of
furniture, the frame and background, or the birdhouse. Sometimes I have a have an idea, before I build it and other times I build it and have it for when the inspiration hits me. I listen as people talk, I watch people and events sometimes I just lie in bed at night and just kind of daydream (but it isn't day, LOL).
I build them and then I usually paint them, in order to seal the
wood. Then I cut out the pieces of tile. Mostly, I use a tile saw,
but I can also use tile nippers, a large manual tile cutter, or I just bought a new roto-zip. I lay it out, and then I apply mastic paste to the back of each piece and paste it. Once they are all in place and wait 24 hours or more, for the paste to dry. Then I trim all of the excess mastic paste away with an exacto knife.
I will work on pictures of my art, using a friends idea of placing my
pieces in a natural/garden setting. I like this idea, I also think it is good if they have an idea, and want to see if I can make it mosaic, the idea of being commissioned for a project.
Copyright: 1997-2004 Pearl,M.S.
I gave my brother my first mosaic as his Christmas present 2000. I made a few ore and started to get some positive responses. My borhter's ex-wifeasked me to take the doors off her pantry and break up her little t-cups/coffe cup sets and attach them to the doors. I said I would and she loved how it came out.
After Christmas, I went to Florida to visit some friends. While I was down there, I talked with Peggy, an Interior Designer. Her mother wanted to have a sword mount built for her son. His Marine Corps Non-Commissioned Officer's Sword. Casey her son, got out of the Marine Corps as a Sargeant, just like I did. I sketched out my idea and she went for it. I made it for his birthday in February 2001, they all loved it.
Afterwards, Peggy asked me if I would be interested in making a piece for a model home she was laying out for the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, FL. I went through a few ideas and then my brother had the idea of a dartboard for the game room because that is where my piece would go. That's is what I ended up making and again she loved it.
Opportunities kept coming up to make different things. I had built the table in the community school wood shop and a year later I decided to make it with a chess or checker board, so it served several purposes. I started making birdhouses with an old privacy fence that we tore down and after about two versions of different birdhouses; I came up with the idea of incorporating mosaics in with the birdhouse idea.
I went through a period where I was having a hard time with my medications, so I didn't work on my art for a while.
When a friend of mine, who knew my love of the arts, invited me to a Community Arts League meeting, not only did I attended but also became a member and then agreed to do the exhibit in the public library for the month of July 2002.
I came up with a way to sign these mosaic pieces with my initials I wanted to come up with an easy and compact way to sign my work. My name is Sean Paul Clanton, so I put my S & P inside my C.
MOSIAC PROCESSING:
A friend asked me to describe the process that I go through when I create a mosaic. It really it depends; sometimes I build the piece of
furniture, the frame and background, or the birdhouse. Sometimes I have a have an idea, before I build it and other times I build it and have it for when the inspiration hits me. I listen as people talk, I watch people and events sometimes I just lie in bed at night and just kind of daydream (but it isn't day, LOL).
I build them and then I usually paint them, in order to seal the
wood. Then I cut out the pieces of tile. Mostly, I use a tile saw,
but I can also use tile nippers, a large manual tile cutter, or I just bought a new roto-zip. I lay it out, and then I apply mastic paste to the back of each piece and paste it. Once they are all in place and wait 24 hours or more, for the paste to dry. Then I trim all of the excess mastic paste away with an exacto knife.
I will work on pictures of my art, using a friends idea of placing my
pieces in a natural/garden setting. I like this idea, I also think it is good if they have an idea, and want to see if I can make it mosaic, the idea of being commissioned for a project.
Copyright: 1997-2004 Pearl,M.S.