Look At Me

Throughout my life, I have grown viscerally aware of the effect and impact that mental health holds in each of our lives- whether that may be our friends, our family members, absolute strangers, or ourselves. I believe that ignoring addressing one's mental health is like breaking a bone and refusing to get a cast. This idea is what inspired the subject matter and title- Look At Me. This image is a self portrait and was created digitally using Procreate. I decided to utilize a self portrait set in my own bathroom to emphasize how close to home this topic is to me. I chose to paint this digitally in the style of realism to attempt to mimic a hazy, glossy photograph. The version of me outside of the mirror represents the choice of hiding from addressing the truth (mental health), while the calm, collected version of me inside of the mirror represents the opposite- healing and acceptance without stigma or judgement. When people observe this image, I hope they might look within themselves and consider, "What am I not addressing?" "What am I hiding from?" I hope this image encourages people to be open to healing mental wounds that may otherwise have been ignored. I hope people feel encouraged to look in the mirror of their minds.