[MUSIC PLAYING]

MARK CHRAPLA: I feel like I

remember in kindergarten always

being impressed with art.

The thing that fascinates me

about drawing is it's kind

of cool starting

with a blank sheet of paper

where you're kind of creating

something out of nothing.

[CAR STARTING]

It's one of those things I feel

like I was just born to do.

You don't think, oh, I'd better

draw everything I can now

because, in 10 years,

I might have

psoriatic arthritis.

I'm a senior creative designer,

a car designer, essentially.

I draw cars, yeah.

So that's what brought me up

to Detroit.

It's been a great job.

I love doing it because there's

so much problem solving

that goes into design.

Every single component

in a vehicle is important.

If they rely on each other,

I mean, it's

kind of like the way

that your body works,

that everything's tied together.

There's a lot of similarity

in the way

that an electrical system works

in a car and your nervous system

in the body.

If one part's not working,

it can kind of throw

the whole system off.

[ENGINE REVVING]

And my hands are like the engine

of a car, essentially.

You don't want the engine

to seize up, and you certainly

on't want your hands to seize

up either.

Well, I had psoriasis first.

So I knew I had that,

but I wasn't really suspecting

of psoriatic arthritis.

I did start to get stiffness

and pain in joints, and I didn't

really think much about it.

A couple years later, my fingers

really started to visibly

change.

And it took me a while to even

think, oh, maybe this

is something I should see

a doctor about.

A little bit of it was the pain.

But honestly, it was just

the visible change.

I mean, this is what my finger's

supposed to look like.

And this is what it looks

like with the psoriatic

arthritis.

It's a little bit embarrassing.

Like even at work,

if I'm pointing at something

on a screen,

I don't use this finger anymore.

I'll use my pinky.

I'm like, oh, this over here.

You draw your whole life,

and you just --

you always take for granted

that you're going to have

the full use of your hands.

The pain, it's off and on.

Like today, it's really not that

bad.

But some days, it's

a sharp pain.

I mean, you get

this inflammation, and it almost

feels like your bones are

grinding together.

When this one gets really bad,

the best analogy is like, it

looks and feels like a grape,

when it's in all your fingers

and you don't even want to bend

your hand just because it hurts.

Sometimes the pain is so bad,

I have to get a shot directly

into the joint.

They help.

And then, unfortunately,

my finger will never look

like a normal finger again.

It's worse in my left.

I have it a little bit

in my right hand, which

is worrisome as an artist.

I look at my left hand,

and I'm wondering if that could

happen to my right.

I hope not.

My hands are very important.

If there was ever a day where I

couldn't draw again because

of this, I just can't imagine

what life would be like.

It's scary.

Stress is actually a pretty big

part of it.

So trying to limit

stress, in general,

is a good way to go.

And I snowboard.

I ride bikes.

I work on bicycles, work

on cars, collecting records,

or anything to help me relax

and just kind of get

into a comfortable space.

I'm really into buying

vintage bicycles

and fixing those up.

It's very important

that the soreness isn't there.

Having

swollen, inflamed fingers,

it doesn't help you get

into those tight spaces

very easily.

I like to ride bikes.

That's kind of my main form

of exercise.

I just love the freedom of it.

It's a cool way to see the city.

When I first started exploring

the city and really started

falling in love with Detroit,

it was actually on bicycle.

The psoriatic arthritis, it

is progressing a little bit.

I'm taking the steps to fight

against it.

And if there's anything that I

can do to keep it

from advancing, I'm certainly

open to exploring what

those possibilities are

because I need these.

It's on my mind

more than I wish it was.

I'm trying to remain optimistic.

It hasn't stopped me

from drawing.

I'm still doing that.

I'm still doing my career.

And I don't want to let it slow

me down.

[MUSIC PLAYING]