Final Project - Shannon

My final project is based on depression. I chose this project because I personally struggle with depression and cannot stand the stigma tied to it. Depression is not just feeling so sad that you can't get out of bed and everyone experiences it differently. It does not mean that someone is broken, it just means that there's a chemical imbalance that they need to move past. An artist that I felt inspired by was David Granneman. He is struggling with severe depression and uses his art as an outlet. Through his art, he spreads awareness about depression and shows it as a serious thing that affects him. By speaking out about his depression he is helping to spread awareness and limit the negative stigma that surrounds depression. My goal with this project is not just to spread awareness about depression but to lessen the stigma that surrounds mental illness in general. Having a mental illness does not mean that you are broken and it gives no one the right to look down on other people. This stigma that everyone is spreading that having a mental illness means your broken and dealing with one that gets in the way of everyday functions means that your lazy is absolutely unacceptable. By doing this project I am hoping to to spread awareness that a mental illness is not something to be ashamed about. The project itself being made of random mental health pamphlets that I found online is to show that a majority of the time, the advice they give is completely useless. By trying to get talking about mental illnesses normalized I am hoping to see the pamphlets and advice that spread around change to be more helpful, not just for those already seeking help but for those who can not afford to or are uncomfortable doing so. If this makes the discussion more normalized and important than I am also hoping to see the negative stigma surrounding these illnesses change as well. We can not be actively supportive of those with a mental illness while society still sees it as something that makes someone broken. By changing the view of someone suffering from a mental illness from someone who's broken to someone who has an illness, we can start making it easier for people to come to terms with possibly having these illnesses themselves and seeking the appropriate help. There's no reason for society to demonize a group of people that already demonize themselves in their heads. Instead of pointing to them and saying that there's something wrong with them, we can offer a helping hand and try to get past the obstacles they are facing.

Project: https://depressed-college-student.tumblr.com/

Resources: https://davidgranneman.art/ink
https://earlybirdbooks.com/quotes-about-depression-from-william-styron
https://www.artwithimpact.org/film/secret-horror/