Mural Arts Philadelphia

Student Interns:

Kristen Bucchin and Ayotomiwa Odusote

Kristen Bucchin - "The Stanley Smile"

“I may not know the answer, but I always have two ears and a hug” – Stanley

Meet Stanley. A current resident at Horizon House, a recovery residence for people dealing with addictions and homelessness. When Stanley was twelve years old, he walked in on his father, bent over in a chair, gun in hand, and blood streaming down the side of his head. After his father committed suicide, his mother sent him to a program, where he bonded with another father figure. At thirteen years old, he discovered his mother, and this new father figure were intimate, leaving him feeling betrayed. Despite Stanley being relatively popular throughout school, he never felt “part of,” or that he belonged. He felt like an outsider. This feeling of wanting to be part of something paved his way to drugs and the Bermuda triangle of Philadelphia – Kensington.

Once you make it to Kensington, you rarely make it out. Stanley turned to drugs to escape his pain. He describes his days in Kensington as being dirty, with no change of clothes, people robbing dead bodies or the bodies of people who had just overdosed, and the only motivation being the chase of the high. Stanley would try any drug in front of him, and overdosed several times, one time in which he was brought back to life through resuscitation. Today, he is eight months clean, currently looking for a new apartment and preparing to travel to similar homes to Horizon House to give talks about his story. However, the early days of his recovery were plagued with guilt, shame, and embarrassment. He was unable to look himself in the mirror and felt like he was still that person stuck in Kensington even after getting clean. Something he is still working to overcome today.

When conducting this interview, I asked Stanley what some of his hobbies or favorite things were, and his face lit up in the biggest “Stanley smile.” Stanley is a morning person who loves French vanilla and hazelnut coffee. He adores the rain and would move to Seattle if he could. He was a basketball and football coach to 5-8 year old kids and loves playing ping-pong, tennis, and basketball. His favorite channel is the discovery channel. He was an English major in college an enjoys writing his emotions on paper. He loves the romantic hues of fall. He is someone who believes love is all that matters and focuses on friendship and honest conversation. He adores watching older couples who have spent their lives together, pregnant people who are getting ready to welcome someone new into their life, and kids (pre terrible twos). Most of what Stanley admires are things, ideations, and hopes for the future he believes he can’t have due to his history with addiction.

Ayotomiwa Odusote- "Art Heals"