Auszeit: Ein zweifacher Bandscheibenvorfall, nix geht mehr.

The flight is late, the audience is already seated and trying to make good use of the time. Meanwhile, I'm rushing through a city I don't know with my suitcase. I've long since reached the limits of my own body, but I keep going because I don't want to keep anyone waiting. I also don't want to miss the chance to talk to young artists about my passion for art. On the stairs to the university, I lift my suitcase over my head. At that moment, my back becomes a little shorter.

A nagging feeling tells me: "You have a slipped disc." I carry on regardless. Still further. I reach the lecture room running. I can finally get started. Over the next four days, I teach five hours a day.

Then the diagnosis from the orthopaedist: two herniated discs, the bone is pressing directly on the nerve and there is also signs of severe wear and tear on the vertebrae. The doctor says: "Your spine looks like a ruler. You urgently need to relieve tension. The weight on your shoulders is too great." With two small children at home, a career as a freelancer and the honorary chairmanship of a ...