My mission is to spread more love and joy to Spoonies* everywhere through the written word and handcrafted, lovingly made items.

An image of a woman smiling, wearing a flora skirt with black top. Red flowers and green grass are behind her. She has a myriad of tattoos on her arms and chest.

This world wasn’t made for people like us, and we miss out on a multitude of experiences due to our physical, emotional, and mental health limitations. This often includes being unable to afford handcrafted folk and fine art or traveling to art shows and events.

If more people were exposed to folk art and handcrafted items, more people would be drawn to this world for hobbies and find relief from stress and anxiety through the meditative peace of creating. The benefits are twofold because my mental health is at its best when I have plenty of time for creating and hand-sewing! I created the #AffordableArtRevolution to supplement my disability income while spreading joy widely.

*Note: Spoonie is a term for a person living with chronic/invisible illness or disability; you may also see this referred to as dynamic disability. You can learn more about Spoonies and The Spoon Theory HERE in this article I wrote for SpineNation.

Welcome, I am so glad you’re here.

Kelly J. Mendenhall is a
disabled author, artist
speaker, creator,
and advocate.

Image of a heavily tattooed woman from the chest up. Her arms are folded in front of her and she is wearing a black tank top. Her chest and arms are covered with various tattoos. She is smiling and looking down.

#TheMedicalGaslightingProject
#StopMedicalGaslighting
#SpoonieSupport
#AffordableArtRevolution
#YouMakeMeSick

Check out my recent conversation with the delightful
Brittany Lynn Budd about turning a lot of brutality into beauty
through Art.

The image of a heavily tattooed woman, smiling, standing in front of a white wall. She is wearing a tank top and glasses and appears to be laughing.

“If my body hadn't physically forced me to stop dead in my tracks, I might never have reconnected with my most authentic and creative self.” -Kelly Mendenhall

I grew up blue-collar and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, believing that if I kept my head down, worked hard, and followed a traditional path, I would be rewarded with a well-paying job and a stable life. I spent my adult life chasing the American Dream and choosing the safest bets. My only goal was to do well for myself while doing good for my community.

But that’s not exactly how it worked out. When my body failed me in 2017, it didn’t just change one aspect of my life. It changed everything. It forced me to reevaluate what I wanted and how I wanted to live.

While things didn’t work out exactly as I had planned, they have been much more interesting than I could have anticipated.

Nowadays, you can find me:

I am a survivor, a woman who took control of building a life aligned with her most authentic self, determined to honor my mind, body, and spirit and help others do the same.

“Today, I’m a recovering nonprofit professional. Since becoming disabled, I’ve added podcasting, print publications, and medical journalism to my repertoire. I firmly believe that life happens for us, not to us and that my journey since 2017 is the best possible demonstration of that.”

Kelly was the Keynote Speaker for Disability Awareness Day in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March 2023. The event was put on by Disability Advocates of Kent County. Below is a slideshow of photos from the event.

Ways you can support Kelly’s work outside of buying books or art:

Pictured here: Kelly interacting with an audience member after her PODX performance in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2019.

Image of two women talking. One is sitting in a wheelchair with her back to the camera, the other is sitting on her Rollator walker, facing the camera. The two women are engrossed in conversation.

Kelly’s Origin story

Kelly J. Mendenhall is a disabled author, artist, speaker, and advocate. Mendenhall has been raising awareness about and fighting against medical gaslighting since 2017. Mendenhall earned her Bachelor of Science and Master's in Public Administration from Eastern Michigan University in 2007 and 2012, respectively. She dedicated her career to the service of under-resourced youth and communities until becoming suddenly medically disabled in 2017.

Mendenhall made a name for herself as a medical journalist and blogger, writing for the website BlastingNews.com in 2018, SpineNation.com from 2019-2021, and her own blog, Nerdzilla Lives! from 2017-2020. Mendenhall appeared in Business Insider and Yahoo! News in 2020, featured for her work against medical gaslighting and mindful leadership.

In 2019, Mendenhall published her first book, Skin in the Game: The Stories My Tattoos Tell, which received rave reviews. Her memoir was relaunched as a podcast in 2024, Skin in the Game: The Stories My Tattoos Tell: An Intimate Author Experience,

Mendenhall launched the Affordable Art Revolution in December 2022 to spread joy and love to Spoonies everywhere through art and the written word. Most recently, Mendenhall served as the keynote speaker for Disability Awareness Day in Grand Rapids, Michigan 2023, and presented as part of the Stop Writing, Start Stelling! Virtual Summit 2.0 in 2024. You can learn more about Kelly and her various projects at kellyjmendenhall.com.

A woman, Kelly Mendenhall, wearing a multi-colored dress adorned with cartoon dinosaurs, rejoices with her hands in the air, with a train car in the background