Up and Down

This series of photographs is a visual representation of my own personal perspective of living with a mental illness. It describes a mind and soul that experiences extreme moods and often drastic mood shifts. I’ve always visualized living with a mental illness as living out a manic heartbeat. It’s a world where the ups are as high as can be and the downs are worst then rock bottom. It’s always been my belief that living out a manic heartbeat would always be more thrilling than only ever living out a steady one. This opinion is represented throughout my work as an attempt to retaliate against negative stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental illnesses. My second focus for this project was symbolizing a manic mind’s emotions. I captured this thought through the repeated use of knots in string which encircled subjects throughout the series. The knots are a translation of the loss of control, chaos, and hysteria that can often follow manic or depressive phases. Subjects in these photographs express frustration and confusion as knots are sewed into their lives they never asked for and can never explain. This series is just one attempt at creating a world where a viewer can become more aware and experience a visual interpretation of a mind and soul surviving a mental illness.