Photo by Shannon Cottrell
A couple years ago, L.A.-based artist Misha noticed that her vision was changing. At first, she chalked it up to her contact lenses. Later, a doctor told her she had a small cataract in her left eye, but it was nothing major. Recently, though, her vision worsened and she learned that a second cataract developed in the same eye. Right now, Misha can still see well enough to continue working, but her night vision has deteriorated to the point where she stopped driving after dark. If ignored, the problem will progress to the point where it will affect her painting and the tattoo work she does four days a week.
Photo by Shannon Cottrell
Photo by Shannon Cottrell
Getting a cataract when you’re nowhere near Medicare age isn’t common, but it happens. Misha needs surgery and, fortunately, she’ll get that next month. It’s a relatively quick procedure. She’ll spend 20 minutes wide awake in a doctor’s office with a robotic arm that will swap out her old left lens for a new one. “I keep picturing the Death Star fluttering over my head,” she says before mimicking the sound of lasers. Misha’s cataracts will vanish almost as quickly as Alderaan, but not without a medical insurance runaround and a still-unknown amount of cash.
Photo by Shannon Cottrell
Photo by Shannon Cottrell
Misha can’t get a straight answer from anyone. She knows, though, that her insurance doesn’t cover her lens and her deductible is high enough where she needs to have several thousand dollars ready to pay for a procedure that can no longer be postponed. She’s prepared for this. Misha has spent the past several months selling art specifically to raise money for the surgery. A few of her longtime clients bought pieces. She also sold quite a bit of work to someone in Rome. Next up is a silent auction to be held at Melrose Avenue store JapanLA’s sixth anniversary party on June 23. She will also have a booth at J-pop party Tune in Tokyo on June 15.
It’s an unfortunate predicament. Misha needs to keep working to raise money for a surgery that’s necessary for her to work some more. The problem is that her job is art, something that’s not an easy sell when so many people are struggling financially.
Misha sits at an easel inside her Thai Town studio, a few sketches and in-progress pieces in front of her. Behind her is a view straight to downtown. She’s wearing her work cloths, including a paint-splattered apron made from an old pair of jeans. Her pink and blonde hair is pulled back, revealing the elaborate make-up that she wears daily. Pink eyeliner juts out from the corners of her blue eyes into curlicues. Her lashes are coated in white mascara that she recently found at a costume shop in Hollywood.
