[LLG] Car accidents shattered her vision – and sparked a new artistic journey

Kang Joo-hye is an artist who has a unique view of the world — literally.

Blind in her right eye and experiencing double vision in her left, she chooses to communicate with the world through art. Created under the pen name “Migeung” — meaning crazily or beautifully positive — her drawings betray no hint of this struggle; they exude warmth and positivity.

The survivor of two serious car accidents understands the media’s fascination with her story. However, the recognition the 45-year-old really seeks is for her artwork, because her drawings are a deeper reflection of her inner world and the life she has built by overcoming adversity.

In 2003, a drunk driver struck Kang, causing visual impairment and right-side nerve paralysis. Rehabilitation was grueling, but a second accident in 2011, albeit minor compared to the first, forced her to restart. Despite the setbacks, Kang’s spirit remained unbroken.

Asked to showcase a pivotal piece, the artist presented a drawing of a brightly dressed clown walking a tightrope.

The text within the artwork, “The Clown’s Dream 1,” reads: “The cold gazes of the audience watching me as I walk the tightrope alone for the first time. The pointing fingers and jeers questioning whether I can do it alone ... I, in my particularly bright clown makeup, must not let my fear be revealed!”

“This wasn’t just what I saw,” Kang said of the work during her interview with The Korea Herald on June 25. “This was the first work where I captured my thoughts and feelings.”

After the accidents, stairs became a challenge, Kang said, as she shared an anecdote from her rehabilitation.

“With blurred vision, I had to calculate all my steps in advance for safety. While I struggled, I could feel the negative gazes of people on me. I felt just like the clown in the drawing.”

Finding recovery, voice via art

At first glance, Kang may appear to have no physical disabilities. Apart from a slight limp and impaired vision, she has mostly recovered from her injuries.

When the first accident turned her life upside down she was a college student aspiring to a career in the fashion industry. As part of her efforts to regain control over her body and to stay engaged throughout the long and arduous rehabilitation process, she took art classes for people with disabilities at a welfare center.

It was after the second accident that Kang’s artistic journey truly commenced.

“I was in a terrible state,” Kang recalled. “But my teacher simply told me to stop crying and start drawing.”

The teacher challenged her to do 100 drawings a week if she really wanted to regain the use of her right hand, and Kang took it head-on.

She drew diligently for months. “Every week, I’d make toast (for my teacher and) walk uphill to his studio to show him 100 drawings I had done of hands,” she said.

Not only did the nerves and muscles in her right hand pose a challenge, but her impaired vision also hindered her ability to visually create what she had in mind. But gradually she learned to overcome these obstacles.

The 100-drawings-per-week exercise not only improved her right-hand control, but also helped foster a resilient and persistent spirit.

“Before (the accidents), I lacked the drive to improve,” she admitted. “The accidents forced me to take challenges head-on. Now, I know that failed attempts lead to growth.”

She also made peace with what happened to her. In the past, she was at times gripped by anger and resentment. She once wrote in one of her old works that she wished that the drunk driver’s children suffered as much as she did.

These days, besides creating her own work at home, she challenges herself to take 13,000 steps a day and climb 20 stories of stairs. This exercise routine eliminates the need for separate rehabilitation sessions.

While some days she considers skipping her commitments, she said, “I know I will feel bad if I skip it, so I just convince myself to move.”

Her passion for disability awareness education stems from her own experiences.

“People negatively perceive my use of priority seating because my disability isn’t outwardly apparent,” she said. “Some don’t ask me to move; they just swear and say, ‘Young people these days have no manners.’”

Because of her visual impairment, Kang often walks on the left side of the road.

She recounted an incident where a young woman rudely complained, “Don’t you know you’re supposed to walk on the right side?” She said she tries to incorporate content about how to approach people with disabilities into the art lessons she gives to young children.

“I would tell them that just being kind is not enough. You have to make sure the help is needed before reaching out,” she said. “I also try to inspire them by telling them the worst disability you can have is giving up.”

When asked about the consistent sense of warmth in her work, she replied playfully but confidently, “Because I’m a warm person. Does it really need saying?”

Standing for living, loving and growing, LLG goes beyond the realm of daily news, exploring the vibrant tapestry of modern life, as told by real people. -- Ed.