Pursue the Thrill

Journey to the Top

Follow the Wash

Falling Into Place

New Orleans, 2015

People I Love: Krista

Krista, Jacksonville 2015

No More Silence

Hi there. My semester off has been truly so helpful for taking care of myself. I’m starting to really accept and love who I am, without having to worry about how others see me. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and I think I’m finally ready to share something. Most of the people in my life already know, but I’ve excluded this information specifically from my extended family. I’ve felt like I’ve had to be silenced about my life because of the reactions I would get. But I’m in a much better place now and I’m getting to be happy with who I am. So I wanted you to know that I am gay. I am still the same Chiara that you know, nothing’s changed. I hope you all understand and accept me for who I am because I did not want to hide this from you any longer. I am happy with who I am and I hope that you see that. I love you all so much.

Hola. Este semestre que no estoy en la universidad a sido tan bueno para mi. Estoy comenzando a aceptar y querer quien soy, sin preocuparme como me ven los otros. E tenido mucho tiempo para reflejar y creo que ya estoy lista a compartir algo de mi. Muchas de las personas en mi vida ya saben, pero yo no e dicho nada a mi familia específicamente. Yo me e sentido como tenia que quedarme en silencio de mi vida por las reacciones que tendría. Pero estoy en un sitio mucho mejor y estoy comenzando a sentirme contenta con quien soy. Entonces quería que sepan que yo soy homosexual. Todavía soy la misma Chiara que conocen, nada a cambiado. Espero que entiendan y me acepten por quien soy porque ya no quería ocultar esto de ustedes. Estoy feliz con quien soy and espero que vean eso. Los quiero tanto.

People I Love: Eddie

Eddie, Delray Beach 2015

Mulan: The Fighter

Depression refers to a range of disorders, all of which are characterized by symptoms that hinder one’s ability to enjoy daily life—including work, sleep, study, and appetite. One of the most common illnesses, depression is caused by several biological, environmental, and psychological factors. Symptoms include feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, loss of interest in activities, decreased energy, self harm and many more. These can range in severity, duration, and frequency for every individual. 

If you want to read more: http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/basics/definition/con-20032977

People I Love: Ben

Ben, Swarthmore 2015

People I Love: Martina

Martina, Swarthmore 2015

Rule #32 : Enjoy the little things 

Cinderella: Midnight. Clean. Repeat.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a disorder that causes overwhelming stress by creating thoughts that impel a person to act upon those thoughts. Someone with OCD will have repeated thoughts that will make them develop rituals in order to cope with those thoughts. Unfortunately, these unhealthy rituals lead to much time being taken up, leaving the person distressed. OCD is usually diagnosed by the age of 19, but the disorder can vary in severity—the symptoms can appear and disappear or range in how much they affect the person.

*This series is based on the original Brothers Grimm story in which Cinderella prays at her mother’s tree three times a day and is made to clean the house repeatedly.

If you want to read more: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ocd/basics/definition/con-20027827 http://iocdf.org/about-ocd/

Belle: Schizophrenia is the Beast

Schizophrenia is a serious neuropsychological disorder which causes the perception of an abnormal reality. Although there is a very low percentage of people with this disorder, schizophrenia affects not only the person with the disorder but their surrounding environment as well. With multiple types of symptoms—positive, negative, and cognitive—people with this disorder can experience hallucinations, delusions, appear to have a lack of emotion, and many more mental disturbances. People usually start developing symptoms in their early 20s, although they can be experienced earlier or later than that. Unfortunately, it is a severe disorder that transforms a person’s life that has to be treated for the rest of their life.

If you want to read more: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml#part1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/basics/definition/con-20021077 http://www.schizophreniaforum.org

Aurora: Sleepless Beauty

Insomnia is a sleeping disorder in which it is difficult to fall asleep and/or stay asleep, causing the person to have mood changes, not feel well-rested, and more. About 10% of the general population have insomnia, according to The National Institutes of Health, and many more reported having at least one symptom of insomnia constantly throughout the year. It is a serious health issue that affects people’s daily lives with how they function due to lack of sleep.

If you want to read more/ways to sleep better:

http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/insomnia

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/insomnia.html

http://www.insomniafoundation.org

Thank you to:

Eddie Kruger, for your amazing photography and editing skills.

Talking about mental illness today is so hard because of the stigma surrounding it that labels people without their consent or input. In my life, mental illness has become more of an every day topic that I’m passionate about, and I think should be talked about freely by more people. I’ve decided to start this photography project as a way to spark a conversation. When I was little, I would watch Disney princess films, thinking life would work out perfectly like that. Now that I’m older, I’ve researched the original “perfect” fairytales and presented my idea of what illness each princess would have. I hope this project will make it a little easier to speak to others about this topic and provide some information for those who need it.