Most people don’t understand depression. They can understand a cast on a leg or diabetes or heart problems, but they cannot understand depression. I wonder if I can take pictures that would help people understand depression.
Are you depressed? (I am.) Does it bother you that many people in your life cannot understand your depression and why it makes your life more difficult? (It bothers me.) Would you like to help me make art that could help other people understand depression?
I’m a skilled artistic photographer, but I’ve never tried to depict depression. I don’t know if it will work, but I feel that I need to try.
This is not modeling. And this is not a documentary of your depression. I’d like to start by hanging out with you, getting to know you, and then just start taking pictures. The artistic process is difficult to describe and even more difficult to predict. I don’t have a formula for success other than: if I don’t take a picture, then I can’t possibly produce the art I would like to make.
I took all of the pictures below. If you are interested in this project, I will give you the link to my Flickr feed and you can decide if I have the skill to make art that provides a window into depression for people that have never been depressed.
Why would you want to do this? Honestly, I don’t know. I’m a poor student, and I am not doing this for a commercial venture, so it’s impossible for me to pay money. Of course, I will give you copies of the pictures if you want them. If you need/want something more in exchange, I’m happy to discuss options. For example, you might want headshots or a portrait or some other type of photography (but I do not shoot nudes—ever).
This is the very beginning of this project, so I don’t have any pictures that are representative of what I want to accomplish.
