Indiana Father, 49, Discovers His Painting Talent After Stroke-Like Illness 'Shut Off' His Brain

Rick Johnston says he'd never been much of an artist — until a brain injury left him with an artistic drive

Rick Johnston was in a dark place after an injury left him unable to use the right side of his body — but for World Art Day on Monday, Johnston looks back on how painting helped him work through his struggles.

Johnston, 49, tells PEOPLE he was working as a manager at a Fortune 500 company in May 2015 when he began feeling sick. As he headed to see a nurse, Johnston blacked out. He describes his condition as a “brain-related illness,” noting that he was left barely able to walk and speak.

“My brain essentially shut off,” says Johnston, of Putnam County, Indiana. “Along the way, my speech was taken from me and my ability to walk was taken. I have been to every major medical facility and it’s still an anomaly as to what happened. My brain is telling my body that I’ve had a stroke. The right side of my body is completely numb.”

With his speech impaired, Johnston was introduced to a speech pathologist, Shelly Hunt. He says their first sessions were tough.

Rick Johnston recovering from a stroke-like illness through painting
Courtesy Rick Johnston/The Bearded Painter

“I was hurt, I was bitter. I was very angry about my situation and she dug in and would not let me quit,” he tells PEOPLE. “I gave Shelly every opportunity to give up on me. The depression was real.”

It was Hunt — a speech therapist at IU Health West Hospital in Avon — who suggested that Johnston take up painting to exercise his brain.

“I told her she was silly. My exact words were, ‘You’re crazy. I can’t paint.’ I’m not an artist by any stretch,” he says, adding that he had never been good at painting or drawing during his school years.

Still, he decided to try. Johnston began painting on small index cards and “instantly the colors really started to make sense to me,” he tells PEOPLE.

“I did it almost out of spite to show Shelly that she was silly,” he recalls. “But I started going through multiple index cards and I couldn’t stop painting. I was driven. Along the way, it started to take off a lot of the tension and the anxiety I had.”

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Rick Johnston. Courtesy Rick Johnston/The Bearded Painter

Johnston then began painting on canvases, and his family’s Coatesville home was soon filled with his creations.

“I paint every day. I have painted for three days straight. Within the last 27 hours, I’ve painted five paintings. Sleep is not something I get a lot of. It is great joy when I paint,” he says.

“I’ve been given a gift,” Johnston adds. “I used to try to explain it, to put some validity behind it. But I don’t do that anymore. I don’t question it. I don’t question why all of a sudden I can paint. I’m just very thankful that I can.”

Johnston says he never intended to share his work with the public, but his 21-year-old daughter, Lauren Johnston, couldn’t help but show the world her father’s talent.

Rick Johnston recovering from a stroke-like illness through painting
Rick Johnston. Courtesy Rick Johnston/The Bearded Painter

She started a Facebook group called The Bearded Painter, where she shares her father’s work, some of which is even available for purchase.

“I have aligned myself with a couple of not-for-profit [organizations], and I give the funds that I make off paintings to those non-profits,” he tells PEOPLE.

“Paying it forward is the greatest paycheck you will ever get in life. The joy from that is the best feeling in the world,” he says through tears.

“What I hope comes out of this, if I have helped one person to not give up, if this journey that I’m on helps one person to not quit, not let adversity push them down,” says Rick, who connects with people facing similar illnesses via Facebook Messenger. “That’s a pretty special thing to say — that you were able to change somebody’s life.”

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