Written by Ari Moretz

Living with three rare diseases, Ari Moretz tells of her passion for artistic expression and how she has used art to transform her pain into beauty

As a disabled artist living within the quiet confines of my home, life has unfolded in ways I never could have anticipated. My journey—marked by a rare trifecta of illnesses including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hyperadrenergic POTS, and mast cell activation syndrome, all of which followed a cancer diagnosis—has been one of profound challenge and resilience. My body, allergic to fragrances and weakened by disease, has often felt like a barrier between myself and the outside world. Yet in the midst of isolation and adversity, I discovered something powerful: art as a lifeline.

Life with illness is filled with physical and emotional pains, and these pains threaten at times to silence my voice and lead to me wanting to extinguish my own dreams. But in those darkest hours, art stood beside me. It never abandoned me. Picking up brushes, pens and sculpting tools became an act of defiance to help me cope with the pains of my illnesses. Each creation is a way to process grief, reclaim joy and breathe life back into myself.

Art didn’t just help me survive—it helped me thrive. It reminded me that even when I couldn’t step outside, I could still reach the world with the stories I had to tell.

Through artistic expression—writing, painting, drawing, sculpting and filmmaking—I discovered the freedom I thought illness had taken from me. My home became a sanctuary of creation, a place where my limitations transformed into fuel for powerful, meaningful work. It was within this creative cocoon that Life in the bubble was born—a documentary film that captures the complexity of living with rare and chronic illness. Available on TELUS STORYHIVE’s YouTube channel, this film is more than just a personal project; it’s a raw, confessional portrait of survival, expression and hope.

In the film, I share the realities of my day-to-day life through a confession-cam lens, exploring how I use art and online storytelling as tools for healing.

Art has brought me a renewed sense of purpose, deep healing and even unexpected joy. In it, I found the love of my life: the act of creating. My hope is that my story inspires others facing illness, isolation, or marginalisation to explore creativity as a way to process their grief and to cope with their life with chronic illness.

Even in our most fragile moments, we hold the power to transform pain into beauty, silence into story, and isolation into connection.

We are all capable of creating the life we seek—one brushstroke, one word, one frame at a time.

Watch Life in the bubble on TELUS StoryHive’s YouTube channel.

About Ari Moretz

Ari Moretz is a multidisciplinary artist based in Calgary, AB, recognised for her work in traditional media and mediums. With a firm belief that everyone has the potential to be an artist, Moretz uses her creativity as a means of expression and connection. As a documentary filmmaker, she created Life in the bubble, a project funded by a grant from TELUS and STORYHIVE.

Through this film, Moretz showcases her passion for stop-motion animation to illustrate how rare, complex illnesses—often invisible—impact the body. The documentary delves into her personal journey as a woman living with these challenges, highlighting her resilience in overcoming adversity while continuing to cultivate her artistic practice.

For Moretz, art serves as a vital tool for navigating the experience of isolation, and she is dedicated to inspiring others to use creativity as a path to healing. She holds an incomplete Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Alberta University of the Arts, where she studied for two years before transitioning to a BA in Psychology through Athabasca University in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic. This academic shift has enabled her to merge the fields of psychology and art, and she aspires to help others heal through creative expression, just as she continues to do in her own life.

Artist website ARI MORETZ – Home

Contact Ari: https://www.arimoretz.com/contact.html

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