BLUE

A self reflection on mental health using color

We tend to express emotions as colors. We often use expressions such as "feeling blue," or "seeing the world through rose-colored glasses."  When done in pictures, there is an entire spectrum of colors to work with to express specific feelings that cannot easily be identified with words. This is why using images to illustrate mental state has so much more power.

I started this project in early 2018 to help myself cope with anxiety and depression. While I was diagnosed with mental illness at an early age, it only started to take it's toll in my adulthood. I did not know how to explain the coldness of dissociation, the warm feelings of happiness and kindness disappearing, or the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in situations where I could have potentially freed myself. I could see the blue seeping into all the rosy warm parts of me, but through painting these feelings I was able to effectively communicate how I felt to my loved ones in times where I would otherwise be at a loss for words.

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