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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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Tim Hamilton had not held a paintbrush since elementary school but gravitated toward one at random in his 60s after a Parkinson's diagnosis upended his life. He quickly discovered his inner artist that he never even knew existed.
Hamilton, 65, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2021, at just 60. Nearly two years later, on impulse while visiting Brighton in England, the London resident wandered into a hardware store and bought a children's watercolor set.
He has been painting ever since.
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"I never thought of myself as an artist, I hadn't painted since I was at school 50 years ago," Hamilton, now a hit online among Gen Z for his colorful landscape drawings, told Newsweek. "Buying that little watercolor set was completely on impulse, I had no idea it would change my life.
"The diagnosis took my old life away, but it handed me something I never knew I had."
Finding New Hope Through Art
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, often causing tremors, stiffness and terrible pain. There is, as of yet, no known cure, and for many, a diagnosis marks the end of activities and a way of life once taken for granted. But for Hamilton, despite the shock and enduring pain, his diagnosis marked the beginning of an unexpected creative pursuit—one built with a shaking hand and, strikingly, color blindness.
"These skills were dormant in me the whole time, and it took Parkinson's to wake them up," he said. "I often smile when I think about it, a man with a tremor creating fine art and a colorblind artist working with watercolors.
"If that's possible, then perhaps we're all capable of more than we realize."
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Hamilton, who is entirely self-taught, said that moment in Brighton in 2023 changed the course of his life.
"And what makes it more remarkable still is that I am colorblind, so I have taken up watercolor painting without always seeing colors the way others do," he added.
Despite his impressive creations and new wealth of followers online, managed with the help of a young family friend named Lola Williams, Hamilton's road to this moment was not easy.
"When I was diagnosed, I felt like life was over," he said. "But in truth, an amazing new chapter had just begun.
"This is all about turning a shocking diagnosis into something special and showing people that a diagnosis like this doesn't have to be the end of life, but the beginning of a different kind of life, a great one at that."
Still, living with the disease remains a daily struggle for Hamilton and his supportive wife, Nathalie. Hamilton experiences chronic pain in his back and legs most of the time, though he rarely mentions it to his family members unless it becomes severe.
"The condition has gradually become more challenging, that's what it does, and medication helps mask some symptoms, but I still fight it every day with every muscle in my body," he said.
Alongside his newfound painting hobby, Hamilton manages his symptoms through daily stretching, gardening and close attention to his diet.
"I genuinely believe gardening has helped slow the progression of my condition and given me both physical and mental strength," he said. "Sometimes, I look around and feel like I'm the only one with something wrong, and I know that isn't true, but I do wish for my old self back.
"I loved my life before Parkinson's and I'll never see that again, but like a phoenix, I've built a new one."
Despite his many years spent without the disease, Hamilton's tremor is often the first thing people notice about him nowadays—and the last thing they expect from an artist.
"What they don't see is the writer of children's books," he said. "They can't believe I can draw or paint with a hand that shakes so much, so I find myself proving it over and over.
"Though the only people I never have to prove myself to are my friends, my family, Nathalie, and Ernie."
Ernie, the family's rescue cat, has become part of Hamilton's creative output as well as his emotional support system. Hamilton has written and self-published a children's book, Ernie the Cat and the Mysterious Tail, inspired by the animal. He shares his paintings and illustrations on Instagram under the handle @parkyartbytim.
When reflecting on what his experience might offer others facing their own upheavals, Hamilton was direct.
"My advice to anyone facing a challenge is simple, don't be afraid to try something new," he said. "Look at me, I've learned fine art drawing while living with a tremor and taken up watercolor painting while being colorblind.
"What's stopping you?"
Experts say Hamilton's experience reflects a broader pattern seen among many people living with Parkinson's. The Parkinson's Foundation notes that creative activities such as painting can support emotional, cognitive and physical well-being by providing an outlet for self-expression, reducing stress that can worsen symptoms like tremor, and fostering social connection.
The foundation also emphasizes that people do not need artistic experience to benefit, with the value lying in the creative process itself rather than the finished artwork. As the organization explains, art therapy can help improve "physical, psychological and social functioning," offering many patients a renewed sense of purpose and confidence alongside their medical care.
Ernie the Cat and the Mysterious Tail, by Tim Hamilton, can be bought on Amazon.com.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman and James Debens
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