56 Project 2: Project Prep 3 – Making Visual Art to Heal

My finished collage is based on the mental illness depression, including many graphics of things that made me think about being depressed. As pictured all in black and white, there are numerous people doing very different things: a young woman sulking while on her phone, a woman looking off into the distance while alone on a beach, a woman staring blankly out into nothingness, and numerous male figures running down a flight of stairs and turning into “non-people”. There are also other figures pictured that add to the overall meaning of the piece: the moon, large crowds, and abstract figures that only have eyes. I feel as though all these people/things reflect how one may feel if they are experiencing depression, as they may feel disassociated and “not real”. I also included two phrases in my piece as well; One being “Speak Up!” and the other being “ i Hate iT heRe!!”. I feel that both of these phrases add to the piece overall, as one is constantly told to speak up if they are feeling down in the dumps (which is not the easiest thing to do by any means) and are constantly in a state of hatred when surrounded by others or doing something they don’t want to be doing.

The last time I made a collage was way back in middle school for art class, and I’m not 100% sure what the purpose/meaning of it even was. However, this piece is meant to express the inner struggles of people who may be experiencing depression. The elements included in this piece work together in a rather beautiful way, as although it may appear rather messy and off putting, the jagged edges and black and white graphics flow together in a way that makes sense to me. This is similar to the way the thoughts of a depressed individual may only flow together in a way that makes sense to them and nobody else. To make this type of art with my hands was eye-opening. The reason I say this is because prior to high school, I used to be a very artistic individual and enjoyed doing art more than anything. So, being able to be expressive through this collage was nostalgic for me and I really enjoyed it. I would say the only aspect that was challenging about this process was finding graphics that fit the vision I had in my head for this collage. Regardless, this project was both extremely rewarding and satisfying as I am proud of the piece I came up with. I would quite literally hang this up in my bedroom at home!