This is a artwork detailing my experience from childhood [pictures of Disney princesses, school photos] to my adolescent [shaving foam, toiletries] with mental health.
The blood, shaver and tissues are symbolic of my experiences with self harm/ sabotage.
The photos of school are symbolic of my growth from a child to a young adult but as you can see, they weren't easy.
I included messages from family and people who i thought to be friends, to include what they thought of me appearance wise.
This includes photos of me as a child smiling or 'being happy.'
As the main theme for my artwork is 'Everything isn't as it would seem.'
The other writing, in pen, is what was actually happening inside of me but wasn't shown on the outside as mental health is difficult to express.
The main message of my art was that 'all i ever wanted was to be seen, truly seen.'
Which is symbolic for the bullying I experienced growing up as I would be outcasted a lot. It got to the point where I was so normalised to it I didn't think it was bullying.
All I wanted from the age of 8 was to be understood, accepted and listen to so basically, all I ever wanted was companionship.
This want became an obsession, which led to many painful experiences growing up.
Because I was so desperate to have a best friend I forgot what was truly important,
loving myself.
