Silver lining therapy after near death experience

SCOTT Trevelyan says having a near-death experience has given him and others with an acquired brain injury (ABI) a positive outlook on life.

Artist Scott Trevelyan is building cabins out of old shipping containers for artists with disabilites for short-term residencies. Picture: Doug Eaton

SCOTT Trevelyan says having a near-death experience has given him and others with an acquired brain injury (ABI) a positive outlook on life.

For the past eight years he has been running free workshops at his property in Alstonvale for ABI survivors and is now in the process of building cabins so he can offer residencies to artists with a disability.

"What I've found is that everyone that comes here (with ABI), one of the things we have in common is that everyone is more positive. Perhaps it's because we've touched death and come out the other side with a greater understanding about what's important in life," he said.

Scott has been speaking with the Australia Council about how they can help him promote the residencies for artists with a disability.

"It has the potential to have artists from all over the world coming here, and it opens it up for my guys; if there is an artist in residence they can do a workshop while they are here," he said.

Scott was halfway through a visual arts degree at SCU when he had a serious motorbike accident that left him with his back broken in eight places and injuries to his hip, shoulder and brain.

After teaching himself to walk again and overcome fatigue, he returned to his love of printmaking and found it cathartic and wanted to share his love of making art with other survivors of ABI.

Scott has recently been named an ambassador for the Federal Government's Living Life My Way program which aims to promote "person- centred approaches" to care services.

He has also been an ambassador for the Don't Dis My Ability campaign, on an advisory panel for the NDIS and on the Tasmanian arts advisory board, assessing grants for disabled folk.

"I think I have some insight into how healing art can be and I want to share that with other guys who have been through difficult or traumatic circumstances... Sometimes people with ABI are not good at expressing themselves through words, but can do it visually. I want to help them through art."