–From “BEST OF 2018 Edition” ChART Journal–

Title: X-istential

This piece is from a series of drawings that originally started during my first year of PT school as an attempt to stay awake during lecture, apply anatomy in a real-world fashion, and gain understanding of how structure informs movement.

My intent with these drawings was to humanize the skeleton, in comparison to the generic skeletons we are exposed to in textbooks. The anatomical position, while practical and universal, is rarely exhibited by those around us. People are always in motion and thus, our structures are always in motion.

VALERIE NGAI, DPT, is a Physical Therapist. At the time of publication, Valerie was a 3rd-year Doctorate of Physical Therapy student at NAU. She enjoys both the visual arts and performing arts, but did not pursue them professionally because her parents warned her that making a career out of art would likely involve being hungry. When she is not studying or in the clinic, she enjoys creative writing, hiking, and spending quality time with her friends.