Speak Up

I felt this piece was extremely important not just for me to paint but for me to also share.

This piece represents mental health, anxiety and healing. Anxiety is a struggle that many of us face and it appears differently for each individual person.

The colourful dots in the middle of the artwork represent the daily struggles/worries/ anxiety that we experience. These thoughts/worries can cause a cloudiness in our minds which can also have the ability to affect us physically. These dots have been specifically contained to the centre of the artwork to represent the walls and barriers we create on keeping others out. Feeling like we can handle our business by ourselves and tend to shut people out.

The ombré style of dots on the outside represents us reaching out for help and seeking support from loved ones, work colleagues, professional health works ect. As the dots transcend outwards they become lighter, the same way when we talk about our worries they too become lighter.

The yellow circles represent the journey we make with our mental health, healing is non linear. There is no direct path from A to B, many of us have setbacks and that is completely okay. The journey symbols have  purposely been positioned off the canvas to represent the idea that you don’t need to see the whole path to keep moving forward. Just one foot in front of the other.

Something I have learnt In the past two years, is that healing hurts. Healing is not essential oils and burning sage. It’s the uncontrollable sobbing in the bathtub, it’s the sleepless nights, it’s the completely empty feeling you feel inside however your heart keeps beating.

Mental health matters, it is real and it affects all of us. Friendly reminder It ain’t weak to speak. On that note, please know my inbox is always open for anyone who is struggling or is just up for a yarn.