Visual Art 2020- 2021

One of the hardest parts of mental illness is getting help and reaching out. Like the clouds in this photo, recovery has many layers. It is a long journey with the end goal of feeling happier and better about yourself and others, like the sun peeking out of the clouds. The sun represents the end goal of recovery, but also that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, or light in the darkness.

I had created my painting during a really hard depressive episode. I was struggling with maintaining school work during a virtual school year because of the pandemic and balancing dealing with normal teen struggles such as self esteem issues. My painting is supposed to reflect how we present this flawless version of ourselves on the internet and to people but there’s always more going on in someone’s life. The tiredness, cuts and words displayed on the right hand side shows a greater idea of what I was struggling with during this time but I showed the world a stunning image of myself. The thing I want people to take away from my artwork is we all need to be mindful of other people's experiences and allow ourselves to not feel okay.

Words aren't enough to express the feelings of emotion, but what I feel is an expression of a being tangled. The hurt they hold is worse, but how it injects me makes me weak. The poison in my system shakes and shreds as I fall from what I’ve always known. Still so many things prey after me and make me shiver in a frost of hatred. No one reaches into the darkness they call light. The light fades from loneliness and from the will power of trying not to give up on getting out of pain. The seeds fall from no care. Use my superstition, to take advantage of what you believe can change your life, because once one is used, it’s tossed and gone.Then notice my light and observe what could've gone wrong. You start to care over the past story, but not the time you could've spent with the story. Words aren't enough to express the feelings of emotion, but what you see, predicts your knowledge, not belief. So why choose to lie behind those who protect you. Shift my colors out of the picture and focus on what truly matters, is it you or me… because the definition shows the deadliness of the love carried.