JUST KEEP BREATHING

MARCH 25 - APRIL 8, 2022 (Exhibition + Gallery)

I created this triggering narrative for my last assignment in my Photography course Lighting part 2 after a few kids I knew from my high school left this world a year apart from another. It triggered me to know that there are others out there struggling just as much due to the many circumstances they're going through mentally.

I decided to create intense images of what it can be like to go off the deep end while fighting mental health. In this narrative; I chose to use prescribed drugs, a bottle of wine, cigarettes and a cellphone as the main symbolic elements within my photographs. Not all struggle in the same ways, some survive while others pass, and all types of people struggle differently and leave differently. I wanted to create a feeling that helps the viewer understand how it can be or feel for some individuals going through their tough times and how some may not want to leave but believe it's the only way they will ever feel "better". I want people to realize, that we are strong people with strong feelings but if we all spread kindness, show love, give an open ear or smile at someone while walking by them, we could save a life.

I wanted to symbolize her phone in the first few images to make a connection with the viewer and make the viewer take a few moments to think about who she could be contacted during these tough times (friends/family, support lines, + etc. ) to then later use it within the shots to symbolize, "too late" while trying to call for help as she is struggling but never really wanted to go as she thought. I made this series to release my thoughts and feelings surrounding these situations and I wanted to share the piece with others as a way to raise awareness of mental health struggles.

- “Most people who attempt suicide change their mind,” they wrote, adding that “most often, firearms do not allow for a change of mind or medical attention to arrive in time. It is, thus, alarming that 21,175 (51 percent) persons who died by suicide in the U.S. in 2013 used firearms (Brody, New York Times).”

"We need to rethink how we look at the data and the phenomenon of suicide. We need to know more and do more for those who will complete suicide before they get to us for any kind of help (Brody, New York Times)” -

Works Cited:

Brody, Jane E. “After a Suicide Attempt, the Risk of Another Try.” Personal Health, The New York Times, 7 Nov. 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/.../after-a-suicide-attempt-the.