I have been following your blog since there was a post about the therapeutic effects of art.
I have always turned to photography as my voice to help me deal with the everyday struggles which causes much anxiety in my life. Recently I have started to focus on portraiture and have come up with a series of portraits which tells the stories of those that feel “trapped” by an aspect of their life.
As a child I was very aware that my parents were trapped in an unhealthy marriage. My father didn’t want to break apart his family, despite how unhappy he was. This struggle made him depressed which affected his everyday life, and in turn mine and my siblings. My parents’ marriage spiraled out of control and became both physically and mentally abusive. As much as they tried, it was impossible to keep their constant physical and verbal fighting away from my siblings and me.
As an adult I have sought ways to keep depression at bay and to avoid becoming “trapped” by circumstance. I am not a person who shares my feelings with others easily, a trait I got from my father, which I believe compounded his anxiety and depression. Like my father, I have felt trapped at times and the longer I go without sharing my feelings the worse it becomes. It was photography that helped me find a voice for my struggles.
In my new series “Trapped” I tell the stories of those who are trapped by an aspect of their life. My goal is to turn this series into a gallery showing to open up a dialogue to raise awareness about our everyday struggles. We all go through difficult times and it imperative that we share our stories so that others know they are not alone in struggling with depression. The trials that we face unite us, and at the same time it is these personal struggles that help create our individual identity. I hope you will consider sharing my story and my project with your readers. It is my sincerest hope that my work will make others feel less alone.
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