Final

“One in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.” 

After struggling with social anxiety for so long it’s become a huge part of me. A lot of times I feel like it defines me and that’s all what people see. I think about my anxiety constantly… everyday and what feels like all day. It’s always there. It’s debilitating. What people don’t realize about anxiety is that you can’t just snap out of it. People think I’m just shy, but that’s not the case. It interferes with my life and gets in the way of things that I need and want to be able to do. School is a big one. I failed a class once because I couldn’t present two projects that counted as a big part of my grade. I did all the work and more to try and make up for not being able to present, but the professor didn’t understand. And this is where my frustration lies. “Discrimination and stimga have been linked to ignorance and studies show the majority of the public have limited knowledge of mental illness, and the knowledge they do have is often factually incorrect.” A lot of people don’t understand the toll mental illness can have on you. Yes I may look perfectly put together on the outside, but inside I suffer everyday. I think there needs to be more of an effort to understand these illnesses. There needs to be more awareness. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ii-QR4Gf30&list=WL&index=2&t=0s

 For my semester project I drew inspiration from the artist Candy Chang. Through the use of public spaces she “creates work that examines the dynamics between society and psyche, the threshold between isolation and community, and the role of public rituals in an anxious, alienating age.” After struggling with grief and depression, she channeled her emotional questions into her work. Her project, A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful, really resonated with me and my struggles with mental illness. Chang’s public art works are internationally renowned for their vulnerability and interactivity. They allow people to embrace their emotions and become vulnerable. I want to create a space for people to reflect, share, understand, and connect. When you suffer from mental illness, speaking about it can be extremely hard. Finding an outlet is important and it’s unfortunate that there are so many people that never get the courage to speak about their struggles. “Art has the power to change the way we think and feel. It also can drive engagement and even action that can help improve the mental health of others and, through giving, help us heal ourselves.” Hopefully, people leave this with a more positive view on mental illness. I hope they at least try to be more understanding because our commonalities greatly outweigh our differences. 

Initially I was going to create a wall similar to Candy Chang’s, but finding a place to install it was tricky, so I’m still in the process of finding a good place to put a mini wall up where there’s enough foot traffic. Similar to Chang, instead of installing directly onto a wall, I would use a big piece of wood and hammer rows of nails into it. Half would be painted red for papers that read “I’m anxious because” and the other half would be painted blue for papers that read “I’m hopeful because”. Reading what other people hang onto the board may help someone in knowing they aren’t alone. Knowing that someone else shares the same fears as you is comforting. No one likes to feel alone and when it comes to mental health, a lot of people feel that way. 

Since I wasn’t able to install my board yet, I used social media as a way to see what people had to say. On instagram there’s a feature where you can ask your followers questions, so I decided to make two separate story postings; one with “I’m anxious because” and “I’m hopeful because”. I informed everyone of course that this was for a project. I shared these postings on my snapchat as well. I did this every wednesday for the past six weeks and I gathered around 50 responses. There were some people who participated every week and some who only participated in the last week. This showed me that sharing these thoughts definitely took more courage for some. There were probably so many other people who wanted to share, but couldn’t sum up the courage. Despite this, I am happy that I was able to reach a few hundred people. Even if they weren’t able to participate, I’m hoping they thought about what their answers would be. My whole point in doing this is to create awareness on mental illness, to overcome ignorance, and allow for more understanding.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Live Online Chat
SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727)

Resources

“11 Facts About Anxiety.” DoSomething.org, https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-anxiety.

Candy Chang " About, http://candychang.com/about/.
Hervey, Jane Claire. “This Artist Turns Anxiety And Fear Into Public Art.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 Jan. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/janeclairehervey/2018/01/30/this-artist-turns-anxiety-and-fear-into-public-art/#5f8f07376250.
“Mental Disorders Affect One in Four People.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 29 July 2013, https://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/.