i painted this piece about 3 years ago. i am a professional artist and very interested in the journey of healing that art has to offer us.
when i was 18 i was raped and i fell into a deep depression afterwards, spent some time in a psychiatric hospital and a year on prozac. my journey is not finished yet, as a lot of that pain and disillusionment is still with me and has shaped the person that i am today. i felt incredibly disappointed with 'life' and this earth and all the beings on it, and a small part of this is still carried inside of me. it took me many years to even acknowledge what happened to me.
i am a survivor, i survived that dark time in my life and i am incredibly thankful for it, i am thankful for having had the experience of being on the other side and for meeting all the wonderful people there. there is a very fine line between being 'normal' and being off-balance. i learnt to have empathy for my fellow beings and throughout my life i have had line and form and shape and depth and balance and colour to guide me and help me express and heal myself. all my paintings have a gentleness and kindness in them, no matter how much turmoil i may feel on the inside, all my work is almost like a wish, a wish of what i would like to be and how i would like to see the world....
Ben's Comments:
Absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your story, and your spirit.