After I almost lost my life at age 14, I was desperate to heal. Art gave me colors. Light. Hope in magical worlds that I could sneak away to until I re-learned the sound of my voice.
In July, 2017, I embarked on a self-portrait series to conceptually illustrate my journey with clinical depression and bipolar disorder for Minority Mental Health Month. As the Founder and Executive Director of a global youth-run mental health nonprofit, Letters to Strangers, I am deeply invested in the power of art and the human connection.
:: Read more about my creative thought process behind each photo of this series here.
:: Watch my TEDxTeen speech in Times Square on mental health, art, and empathy here.
#1: Cotton Cold
#2: Bipolar Balloons
#3: Rubber B(r)anded
#4: Masked Malady
#4.5 Vertigo
#5: 彩云易散 Clouds Scatter Easily