Bean Town Times

Lauren Hennessey '14 '16DPT Turns Body Work into Art

What led you to Simmons to study physical therapy?

At sixteen, I underwent spinal fusion surgery for Scoliosis. After working with a physical therapist [during recovery], I started to think of that as a career. I was raised by a single mom who didn't have a college degree, so applying to college was huge for me. I liked the idea of a physical therapy program because it encompassed health care and fitness, and I could apply for the graduate program from high school. I wanted to be in Boston, so Simmons was the right choice.

What work have you done as a physical therapist?

I've done so many things in physical therapy since graduating! My first permanent position was doing pelvic floor therapy for women's sexual health at an outpatient facility. I knew I wanted to travel, but given the vulnerable nature of that specialty, there are no travel positions offered. I traveled to California and visited geriatric patients in their homes and nursing home facilities.

When the pandemic hit, I happened to be contracting with a Massachusetts nonprofit that placed me in an elementary/middle school in a low income area of Boston to work with children with special needs. When schools shut down, I was sent to a nursing facility in the same area. COVID was bad at nursing facilities, so the work was pretty traumatizing. I was in survival mode.

What kept me from having an actual mental breakdown, due to work stress and the lack of social interaction, was painting. My roommate at the time was an art school graduate. We went to Michael's and I bought a bunch of art supplies on sale. I started painting and didn't stop. I would come home from work every night and immediately start painting. I ended up with a hundred paintings. I'm so happy for this random gift that came to me at such a tragic time. I don't know where I would be if that hadn't happened.

How does your work as a physical therapist inform your artwork?

When I first got my art supplies, I thought, what do I paint? I'll paint a body! It was so obvious.

My physical therapy education is completely essential to what I paint now. At Simmons, I studied biomechanics, postural analysis, and anatomy, and all of this has been essential to create realistic drawings of the body. I also did a lot of paintings based on my travels, which would not have been possible if I wasn't a traveling physical therapist.

How do you balance your work as a physical therapist with your work as an artist?

I've always hustled constantly! Even in college, I was a Resident Advisor with at least one part time job. I try to socialize, but I was never a hugely social person. Right now I'm working really hard to make my life what I want it to be before I choose to settle down and have children. I want to keep working on my art and see where that can take me. Working as a full time physical therapist means I can support myself and my art.

In fall of 2022, your

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