Mankind's Loss Today...

Today the world lost a great man who inspired many and fought for what he believed in no matter what the consequences were. Today, on December 12th, 2013, Nelson Mandela passed away.

While I do not pay much attention to political figures, there are some great human beings in politics that fight for the betterment of the human soul. These people remind us that we have power within in us to change our circumstances for the better. We may feel that our own individual lives are insignificant but we all leave our mark on the world that helps shape the future in some way.

I found a quote from Nelson Mandela that I can identify with when I think of my fight with mental illness.

I can only speak for myself, however, I think that many people who struggle with a diagnosis of a mental illness get caught in a trap of believing they are defined by their illness and what "a textbook diagnosis" is.

The question that I must ask myself at this point in my journey is "Am I living a life that is second to my diagnosis?" Nelson Mandela's quote makes sense to me now. Looking back I have lost my passion, letting my illness consume who I am and affecting how I communicate and respond to others, how I treat myself and the limits I put in place for myself. I need to break through the limits and find my passion again. 

Starting a Journey...

When we start off in school as children, we don't hold back and create art and most of us are very proud to take our works home to our parents. Many Mom's and Dad's hang their child's works on the fridge creating a gallery so family and friends can comment on how wonderfully talented the child is. Somehow, though, as we grow older we lose that freedom of expression in fear that our peers will judge us as "not good enough". 

Art cannot be wrong and can never be "not good enough". We need to get back to the days of Kindergarten when we didn't care if we coloured inside the lines or not. Creativity is a gift that we all carry in some form or another, it helps us release emotions including negative ones that may be self-destructive. 

So where do you start if you have never thought of yourself as an artist or creator?...My advice is to just pick up a medium (paint, pencils, clay, beads etc.) and just have some fun!

I started to really dabble in art a couple of years ago when I had to do a project for school. I found that it really gave me an outlet to deal with the depression that I was going through. I was surprised what I could create and ultimately didn't care what other thought...I knew it was "me" and I didn't have to change it for someone else. 

I am expanding my artistic pallet and most of all, I am having a good time!