By Tiffany Mei Yates "'Aftermath of a Kettle of Fish’" is the beginning of a series of female figures with manifesting negative traits that I'm trying to accept and normalize as represented by animals. The main focus of the series is creating figures that are unrestrained and overwhelmed, feelings that I loathe and avoid by immersing myself in projects and work. The animals coming forth from their bodies as though they are raw emotions are being expelled. ‘Aftermath of a Kettle of Fish’ is about dealing with the myriad of feelings after an awkward situation, and observing and empathizing with the offender. Regret for acting out of vulnerability, mixed with sickening shame for the hypocrisy of trespassing the boundaries of others.” Tiffany Mei Yates is an illustrator, designer and crafter. Her influences run the gamut: Fantasy and science fiction, as well as various biology, technology, medical and political articles. Tiffany grew up surrounded by art, attending and helping at art shows and spending many days after school in her mother’s studio, where she watched her make Chinese brush paintings. Absurdity is a reoccurring theme depicted in Tiffany’s work, which swings between humorous and eerie. Tiffany views her art making as compulsive, inevitable as a form of communication. Studio 23 in Fredericksburg, Virginia’s Libertytown Arts Workshop is where her drawings, sculptures and paintings can be found. View more of Tiffany’s artwork here, follow her on Instagram (@tyates.found) or contact her to learn more about her work.
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By Kimberly Frentheway "I created this piece when I was in the midst of a particularly difficult depressive episode as part of the bipolar disorder that I live with. The heart is shattered but holding together amongst all of the pain, because I have learned many new skills in the last couple of years to help me cope with the ups and downs of this illness. "I created this piece as a way to express myself as an outlet when I felt like I was barely holding it together. I had recently started CBT, and those skills really helped to manage the depressive episode that I was experiencing during this period. I had just experienced a significant loss, as well, and this piece reflects that. "I find that art is a way for me to divert excess energy or negative feelings (depending on my mood state) in a positive way, and it often helps me communicate those feelings to providers in ways that I wouldn’t be able to otherwise." To learn more about Kimberly's experience, visit her blog. Ruby Pearl is a self-taught artist who uses paint to create worlds that she would like to inhabit. Art has been a constant in Pearl’s life, bringing her peace and balance despite suffering past abuse and homelessness. For Pearl, art is like breathing. “Each stroke of my brush not only validates who I am from the darkness of my childhood, but also celebrates who I’ve become. I’ve finally been loved—loved by myself,” says Pearl.
Pearl lives with post-traumatic stress, bipolar and severe anxiety disorders, which she manages through prescription medications, weekly therapy, a positive attitude and support from friends, fellow artists and staff at Gateway Arts. Gateway Arts is a Vinfen vocational art program that supports artists with psychiatric conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities, brain injuries and behavioral health challenges in Brookline, Massachusetts. At Gateway Arts, Ruby has found calmness, solitude and recognition for her art. Her work has been widely exhibited and admired in the community and across the world. By Todd Wittenberg "I am a survivor of mental illness. It manifested itself mainly through severely upsetting and confusing religious delusions. I describe this as lack of ease—having multiple and roughly equally powerful belief systems, which are of great importance to the sufferer, argue among themselves most of every day. Not fun. Due to the terror I endured, my world became small and lonely. "'Leap Towards the Sun' exemplifies the course of my recovery journey so far. Done in marker, the drawing does not lend itself to correction. Once a mark was made, I had to live with the result. Also, I did not make a pre-drawing sketch of the design. Nor did I have any inkling what it would look like or if I would feel good about the result. "This is akin to my spiritual life. Once terrified by God and virtually convinced I was on the wrong side of His ledger, I kept seeking and searching, going deeper into the “Labyrinth of Faith” until finally, and most surprisingly, I burst into the sunlight of freedom one day and found myself to be loved." Todd is a 45-year-old New Yorker. He was raised in Chappaqua by loving parents and a brother, who is also his best friend. Todd is relatively new to the peer field. He currently works as a Recovery Specialist for MHA of Westchester. Todd lives with his cat, Mo, and has many friends. He uses his lived experience as an instrument to connect to others and become a part of the solution in his community. Writings by Madison Edwards
I first experienced trauma when I was molested at the age of 4. Since that day, I have struggled with mental illness. For many years, I tried to mask all my feelings in self-destructive ways, such as acts of self-harm, substance abuse, an eating disorder and suicidal thoughts/attempts. In my early teens, my long-term boyfriend began abusing me sexually, psychically and emotionally. This eventually led to him grooming me into being a sex worker for him. I began seeking behavioral services at the age of 14. Since starting therapy, I have been able to face all the effects of my past trauma that I had been masking for so long, and with the help of amazing behavioral health workers, I have come to terms with my mental illness. As I express in some of my writings, I am not ashamed of having a mental illness, and my mental illness or past experiences do not define me as a person. I am so much more than all those things. I am a woman, a daughter, a friend and a survivor. These are a few of my writings:
By Nicole Hamilton "This painting is called 'Flourish.' It is the story of a butterfly and a piece of thread that sometimes holds her steady on earth, and sometimes holds her back from soaring to new heights. It is equally a lifeline and a tie that binds. We all have things that support us and difficulties that restrict us. The connections we make through different relationships are what can help us truly flourish. Through my painting, I have found a way to help me feel connected to life. I believe this feeling of connection is vital to our mental health, and art is one way to find strong, supportive and beautiful relationships in our lives. "I feel a better connection to myself when I paint or draw. Art is an emotional outlet for me and helps me process some of the issues I deal with in my life. Another wonderful connection art gives me is a way to interact with others. It starts a dialogue that helps me communicate with a community that often supports and nourishes me. This can be taken to an even bigger idea of how art gives me a feeling of being part of something beyond all of us. When I paint, I get lost in the process and am not aware of time or my surroundings. I am in the flow of life and honoring my purpose. I hope my art inspires others to follow their passions and pursue what connects them to a life where they can flourish." To learn more about Nicole, or to view her artwork, visit her website. You can also follow Nicole on Instagram (@nicolehamiltonart) and on Facebook (Nicole Hamilton Art). These pieces of art were created during art therapy sessions held at several different programs run by Clinical & Support Options, Inc., including a homeless shelter/resource center. Sarah Tanner, director of marketing and development for the organization, submitted the artwork on the artists’ behalf. She also wrote the supporting summaries that speak to the art and the artists behind them. ARTIST: Jaleel “Jaleel has been a tenant in our single room occupancy program for several years. He has been in and out of homeless shelters for most of his life. At 58, he is confined to a wheel chair due to multiple sclerosis. He has limited ability with his hands, and his condition is deteriorating quickly. He cannot hold a pencil, but he is still painting. Many of his paintings are done one stroke at a time. Jaleel says he came to the shelter thinking he would die here, but having time and space to paint has given him life. He doesn’t watch television because his painting ‘tells a vision.’ He adds, ‘Painting gives me purpose. If I don’t have a girl, or a house, or a car, I can just paint them. Once I paint them, then I have them in front of me, and I can see them.’” ARTIST: Iris
“This artist, Iris, is a current guest at our homeless shelter, but she also works full-time. ‘I paint fantasy flowers that are in my imagination,’ said Iris. ‘I just think of them and let the paintbrush go. They are based on the flowers from where I come from in Puerto Rico. The women that I painted represent the different cultures of people who are all from Puerto Rico.’” By Sarah Montgomery
"My journey with mental health has always been chaotic. It felt like thoughts and delusions were constantly running my mind, especially every spring. I didn’t know what was fact or fiction. When I realized I had the power to overcome my diagnosis, my life began to take shape. I started taking my medication and quit doing drugs. "The flower is what came to be through the layers of turmoil and years of pain. I want to stand tall with my illness—like this bold flower shows—because only I truly know what it took to get here. Now, I hope to help those who are suffering and let them know that something may blossom from the chaos they are currently in.” Sarah enjoys art, animals, comedy and cooking. She has two dogs that are her “fur kids,” and is supported by her family. She graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in advertising. By Dwayne Mayes I have this piece hanging in my office as a constant reminder of my recovery journey. This is a pencil piece I drew in 1993, when I was in an art therapy group as part of my MICA Day Treatment Program. At the time, I was completely non-verbal and unable to express the emotional pain I lived with. As a survivor of extreme physical abuse by my birth mother since I was a toddler, I had learned how to suppress my feelings and simply gaze out at the world, always expecting pain and hardship. In this piece, I was able to show the three components of myself (Id, Ego, Superego), depicted by the hand of the person looking through the leaves, the person attempting to rise above the trauma of life, and the actual hidden secrets of what I was really thinking and feeling, which nobody would ever discover (but could erupt at any time). The various images within the submerged cube were depictions of concepts most important to me, or which I was most obsessed with thinking about: chemical dependency, a sense of broken self, the injustice and unfairness of life, indiscriminate anonymous sexuality, spiritual or demonic influence ending in death, constant pain which my skin would always remember, time slipping away, and always being watched or watchful. Of course, there was always the question of ‘why,’ which haunted me for decades. In my current work, I share this piece with my clinical staff to help them understand just how much more there is to the individuals with which they may be trying to engage; people who may seem to be recalcitrant or evasive in their responses to therapy. Each person has so many hidden parts of themselves, and the key is finding the medium and, perhaps, creating the safest space for expression. Since the time of this drawing, I have grown tremendously. Dwayne is currently the program director of the Recovery Network and Peer Training for MHA-Westchester, and he has worked in the mental health peer industry since 1998. To learn more about Dwayne's work, visit his Facebook page. By Timothy Amussen "The bottom-right drawing, ‘Five Trees,’ was made during my first visit to a mental health hospital in 1994. The tree in the background is myself, with a broken limb. Two other drawings, ‘Bare Tree’ (at top) and ‘Crystal Rain 2’ (at bottom center) both have broken limbs. I continue to use this motif, which depicts myself as a flawed individual. The middle drawing, ‘Old Eyes,’ depicts the sadness of the past 24 years going in and out of mental hospitals, as well as having received a multitude of psychiatric medications, different therapists, doctors and numerous ECT treatments. The bottom-left drawing, ‘Agios Tree,’ depicts how adaptable and constant nature can be, and what I strive to achieve.” |
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