The main topic for my project will be focused around depression and anxiety and how these illnesses are generally perceived. Mental illnesses have always had a terrible stigma surrounding them but these two are the ones most people want to focus on. Depression is typically linked to the person having some awful experience early in life or just being too pessimistic or overdramatic to see just how good they have it. Anxiety is typically linked to someone being paranoid or over cautious and that they need to get over themselves and see just how safe and comfortable the world actually is.
I chose this project because I personally struggle with anxiety and depression. The stigma around both these illnesses made it difficult for me to accept that there was a problem and seek help. The main factor that pushed me to seek the help I needed was my friend, who also struggles with these illnesses, telling me that I reminded her of herself a little too much and that I should seek some form of help. The stigma surrounding these illnesses almost kept me from getting the diagnosis I needed and I don’t like the idea of others going through the same thing.
The message that I would like to get across to my audience is that the stigma surrounding these illnesses are false. Seeking help is always the better option compared to suffering in silence. There’s no shame in admitting that something’s wrong and that you need help. Depression and anxiety don’t only occur in people that have gone through something traumatic or had a difficult childhood. They can occur in someone who has had a normal life and wouldn’t typically be seen as someone who even has a chance of developing these illnesses, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.
In order to reach an audience I can hold a workshop where we build something related to the topic. I could hold a presentation in an area that’s easily accessible and has a good platform where I can reach more people. Both of these options give me a chance to talk about where these illnesses may stem from and try to decrease the stigma surrounding both of them. These options give me a chance to share my experience and my friend’s experience with these illnesses and share how we both found help for them.
An audience can engage with these projects by helping to build something to spread awareness for these illnesses or talking to their friends about it to lessen the stigma. For some people the way they engage with this project may be seeking out the help they need for the problems they face. By attending the workshop or presentation, people can engage by spreading the word and helping in their small way to reduce the negative stigma that surrounds mental health. Other people may engage by acknowledging which preconceptions they have that may be wrong and correcting that view point.
The project doesn’t currently fit into any of my professional aspirations or portfolios yet. The main reason for this being that I have no idea what my aspirations are or what is needed for my portfolios. It may fit into a future portfolio as psychology does interest me but I have no idea if that field is what I want to practice or if it’s even a viable option for me. I could use this project to show an understanding of these illnesses and sympathy for others who have it but I have no real idea as to what I can currently use it for.
Originally I didn’t have an artist that influenced or inspired this project. It was just an idea that popped into my head and I decided to just go with it. While doing research, however, I came across an artist name David Granneman who struggled with severe depression and uses his art as an outlet for it. He did a short video talking about how the illness had affected him and how his art helps him cope which was featured on Art With Impact. David seems to be trying to spread awareness through his works while working through the illness himself.
I struggle a bit with research so I couldn’t find another artist. Instead I found a memoir written by William Styron about his struggle with depression. This memoir is called Darkness Visible. It talks about how depression impacted his life, what physical and emotional effects it had on him, and how he coped with the illness. By sharing his story he showed the different forms that depression can take even in one person and how to seek some form of help for dealing with the illness. This can show my audience that there doesn’t have to be a consistent way to have depression and that there’s always a way to get help for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment