The best advice i can give anyone is not to tell other people you are on ssdi. There is a great deal of jealousy out there especially in this economy. Depending on your age you can say you are retired or research and invest in the stock market at home. its really nobodys business.

Just because you are on disability does not mean you stop living. I have taken multiple art classes, including one on writing and illustrating children's books. Doesn't mean I will be able to support myself as an artist or an author just because I take a class. It is not easy when you have an invisible disability like MS can be . . . or Crohn's. People always say "but, you look so good." I do not believe disability should preclude one from growing intellectually or obtaining skills they don't have. Where you must be careful is if you are keeping a schedule that indicates you could be productive for an 8 hour day. Full time school is out, as is full-time volunteer work. Both could be seen as evidence of the ability to punch someone else's time clock for pay.

I once (a couple of years ago) did a 5 day painting workshop. We started every day at 9am and quit about 4:30-5pm. By the end of the week I was totally exhausted and convinced it would take a miracle to be able to do that for even one more week. . . let alone every week! Heck, i can't even work at my easel in my home every day . . . some days are just too miserable to be creative. I used to work in a high-stress multi-tasking profession . . . forget it now! If I get pain relief from my Rx mix, I am not in any shape to make decisions with other people's lives at that point!

But, Hoosier-daddy, I hear you. Whenever I have more than 2-3 good days in a row I get my hopes up that maybe, just maybe, it will last. Eight years now. . . and it never lasts. I miss the challenges, interaction with people, and the chance to squirrel away money for "retirement." Ha! Poverty here I come. . . .