An accident left him with one arm — but he turned his trauma into art

In The Know by Yahoo
·2 min read

"Beating the Odds" profiles people who despite their physical and health challenges, have pushed on to pursue their dreams and accomplish some incredible things.

Nearly 40 years ago, in his hometown of Waverly, Nebr., Matt Sesow lost his arm in a nearly fatal accident caused by an airplane propeller. But he didn't want to stop painting — a hobby that he said he'd previously taken up as "maybe a way to impress some girls."

Those motivations changed after his accident though, turning into something far more therapeutic.

"A lot of the feelings I had about my disability — that I'd never talked about or knew how to talk about — would come out through my painting," he told In The Know.

Today, Sesow is an acclaimed professional artist in the metro Washington D.C. area, renowned for channeling his trauma into unforgettable paintings.

It wasn't an easy journey, though. Before his accident, Sesow was left-handed — but after losing his dominant hand, he had to learn to do everything over again.

"There was that challenge of learning to write with my right hand, and you know to even do simple tasks like just holding a fork and eating," he told In the Know.

Now, decades later, those things come to him easily. Instead, he's focused on trying to become an "inspiration" for those who follow his work.

"I'm trying to show people that there is happiness and there is joy that can be had in any situation," he told In The Know. "We can find a path out there in the world. And you know, it might take 40 years, but we just keep the mantra going."

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The post An accident left him with one arm — but he turned his trauma into art originally appeared on In The Know.