Advent, Advent – my head is burning

How an old image idea became a Christmas card for people with migraines.

The Advent season is considered a time of peace, warmth, and anticipation. For many people with migraine, however, it primarily means one thing: sensory overload . Full calendars, stress, smells, lights, emotions – all of this can be too much and lead to the head "burning" precisely when peace should be setting in.

Perhaps that was one of the reasons why things have come full circle for me this year.

XMAS postcard in cooperation with the "Migräne Du Arsch" shop.

An old visual concept reimagined

For a long time now, I've been painting portraits in which the head dissolves upwards: into light, color, wire, fairy lights, or into forms that make chaos, pain, or overwhelm visible. It's one of my recurring motifs—an attempt to visualize the invisible aspects of a neurological condition.

People often only see the face when someone has a migraine. Not what's happening behind it. Not what's happening in the head and body. Not the overstimulation, the flickering, the burning.

When I had another migraine attack a few weeks ago, it suddenly became clear: This motif belongs on a card that accompanies people with migraine through the holidays.

A collaboration that feels right

Together with Ann-Christin Hoeltje from Migraine You Ass – whose work I greatly appreciate and which gives strength to so many sufferers – a limited edition card was created: a portrait in festive clothing, the head wrapped with a luminous string of lights, which appears both festive and painful.

Humorous, honest, and a loving message:

"I see you. Even at Christmas."

Because often, especially during these times, we try to appear "functioning" on the outside, while inside everything is ablaze. It was precisely this tension that I wanted to make visible – as art, as humor, as solidarity.

Who this card is for

For those affected who feel particularly alone during this time. For medical practices, clinics and pharmacies that want to give a small token of appreciation to migraine sufferers and all others who struggle with invisible illnesses during the Christmas season.

For anyone who knows how challenging chronic pain can be when everything around you is supposed to be "cheerful and bright".

It's just a small card – but I hope it lands somewhere it can bring a little warmth.

Order

You can order the card here until December 17, 2025:

👉 Link to the shop .

For me, it is another step on my path to using art as a language for chronic pain – and to create visibility where otherwise invisibility prevails.