STRANGE HAPPENINGS - INSIDE THE MIND OF MENTAL ILLNESS (PREVIEW)

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I describe my art as confronting and honest. I like to produce works that have the potential to make people feel uncomfortable. The subjects I often deal with are usually based around raw emotion and are often topics that people tend to turn a blind eye too.

With this particular project I am aiming to convey a sense of inner turmoil, confusion and a loss of self control. I want to leave the viewer with an inkling of what the effects of Mental Illness can do.

One thing I want people to understand about Mental Illness is: It is not just an illness of the mind, but an illness that can cause physical changes as well.

When I first started this project, my feelings of anger, frustration, hopelessness and despair were so intense they became like a flood of uncontrollable emotions. The negative experiences of the past had consumed my every thought. My mind had entered a place of darkness and that darkness was like a poison that begun to ooze its way throughout my body. I could feel it inside me, I could feel it getting a hold, but I didn't care

After a while I felt as if I was beginning to lose my humanity and as a consequence I began to lose the ability too relate to others. I started feeling like a stranger within my own skin.

It seemed the more time that passed, the less I recognize myself. I had transformed into a monster, A monster that was not only ugly and twisted on the inside, but unstoppable as well.

Though this work will take the form of a book, it should not be viewed as one. It is an intimate look inside the thoughts, feelings and delusions of a person consumed by Mental Illness. Though at times it may seem irrational and hard to understand, that is the purpose of this work. Mental Illness is a very personal experience, it has no structure or cognitive flow. It is what it is. For some it may have little impact, but for others, it can be far more destructive.

As for me, though I am in a better place now, I know what it feels like to hit rock bottom and yes I have tried to kill myself on more than one occasion. The reason why I am telling you this is not for self pity, but because it is the truth. It is only through truth that the silence and the misconceptions surrounding Mental Illness can be broken.

Unfortunately we cannot see through each others eyes, but at least through art we have a voice for understanding.