At times it’s difficult to convey our feelings in a regular conversation. Art and creativity are essential in our ability to express our most heartfelt emotions. When enthralled by a poet’s words, immersed in the depths of a song, captivated by the delicate brush strokes of an artist, or engrossed in the gaze peering out of a photograph, it allows us to connect on a much more profound level. It’s an energetic conversation between you and the creator or subject. It’s evidence that we are all human and none of us are truly alone in our struggles.

With this project I’ll be meeting with subjects of varying backgrounds, cultures, and socioeconomic statuses to learn about their stories and struggles with differing mental health issues. Mental health problems do not discriminate or present in one specific way and have the ability to affect anyone regardless of their circumstances. To illustrate this, I’ll be creating a series of contrasting portraits with my subjects to help them demonstrate the difference of what they experience internally versus what others perceive externally. These images, along with their stories, will be showcased in a gallery setting and in book form, with all proceeds going back into mental health programs.