“Painted Madness”

“Painted Madness” is an illustrated series dealing with my struggles with mental illness and attempts at trauma recovery. It’s graphic, and sometimes jarring, but above all else, it’s real. These feelings, experiences, and actions effect my daily life, and are common to many others who share the same struggles.

I deal with several issues: C-PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression. In trying to find a healthy way to process my hurt, anger, and confusion, I was moved to speak in the language I’m most familiar with - Art. This has not only been one of the most productive periods for my personal art, I’ve also been able to experiment with various tools and techniques, learning, improving, and growing both personally and technically. Being a successful artist and designer doesn’t diminish my struggles, and my struggles don’t diminish my accomplishments.

Additionally, the very structure of these images add another layer to the story. Some of them have clean and crisp linework, others have broken lines or color inconsistencies. While these are not intentional, they are also not mistakes. I am currently in the process of adjusting to medication, and that comes with some side effects (some of which impact my fine motor skills). Rather than hide or polish them, I let them stay. Why? Well, I’ve been very open and vulnerable this far, so I may as well keep going.