This story is part of the #MissingEntrepreneurs 2023 campaign, which features an OECD-EC report analysing the challenges that underrepresented groups face as entrepreneurs. We will shine an entrepreneurial light on the stories of women, young people, seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants and unemployed people.
In 2016, at the age of 33, I received a diagnosis that would change the course of my life – a brain tumor. The revelation brought with it an undeniable truth: survive this, and I would embark on a journey of reinvention.
Emerging from the operation, my world was cloaked in visual impairment, a consequence of the surgery. Yet, this setback couldn’t deter me. I was determined to forge ahead, to finally realise my long-held dream of becoming an independent full time artist. The aftermath of chemotherapy and radiation therapy marked the beginning of my transformation towards becoming an entrepreneur.
This having been completely new ground for me at first, I was guided by the competent and empathetic support of the team of enterability in Berlin, a special service offered by the Berlin Integration Office for people with severe disabilities. Well-prepared and supported with a start-up grant I eventually started as a freelance artist.
Since then, I had numerous exhibitions in Berlin and various European cities such as Thessaloniki, Stockholm and Lugano. My art has transcended borders, finding homes in Japan, the USA, Scandinavia, and Australia. Moreover, within the solemn walls of a former Berlin mortuary, I now facilitate Action Painting workshops in my studio and thus offer the powerful experience of being creative to others.
Choosing this path has brought me profound satisfaction, even though it’s far from the path of least resistance. The art world, a realm where women and minorities struggle for representation, remains largely oblivious to the existence of illness and disability. Despite the global strides toward inclusivity, the same cannot be said for artists grappling with health challenges.
For women like me, navigating the art scene is an uphill battle. While there are grants, competitions, and opportunities for artists, those with disabilities often find themselves in a void. It’s as if we’re invisible, our struggles dismissed or overlooked. Those with invisible disabilities, in particular, often choose the shadows, attempting to remain unseen in a world that neglects their existence anyway.
Yet, against these odds, I stand as a testament to the power of determination and the transformative ability of art. My journey is not the story of just a personal transformation; it’s a call for greater recognition and inclusivity.
Find out more about the Missing Entrepreneurs here.
Miriam Smidt is an artist based in Germany whose paintings have been exhibited nationally. In addition, her art has been featured in publications such as WEDDINGWEISER, the Berliner Zeitung, art-in-berlin, etc. Through a fluid technqiue and vibrant colors, Smidt explores the entanglements of the individual with time and transience, diffusing the limits of control and letting go. She most often creates with acrylics, watercolors, pastels, spray paint, and ink on canvas.