Zahra Farlow

My investigation follows the progression of my mental health from my own eyes. I’m an advocate for mental health, as it has heavily impacted my life. For this series the viewer joins me in revisiting my past experiences, from when the depression first hit, to my lowest lows, to finally making it to a semi-stable place mentally. It feels very vulnerable putting my experiences out there like this, but it also feels healing to turn my struggles into art.

As I was working on the first couple of pieces, I wasn’t feeling very inspired. It felt as if I was just recreating exactly what I went through and I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to turn my experiences and struggles into something creative. It wasn’t until the third piece that I finally got excited about my work, as I tried out using text and personal symbols (such as the bandages that make visible my emotional suffering) to emphasize my message.

This series is very meaningful to me and with it, I hope to raise awareness for the effect mental health has on many people.