There are so many stigmas surrounding mental health and too many times the people who are living with a mental illness are reduced to a stereotype or statistic. I spoke with individuals living with a mental illness and heard their stories through real and honest conversations. Through these interviews, I want the reader to understand what it really means to have a mental illness and that these people are more than what society perpetuates them to be.

As mental illness continues to grow as a societal issue, we have to explore a more creative method of how to address and present the problem. The goal of this project is to increase public understanding of mental illness while at the same time allowing people to therapeutically share their stories while spreading awareness. One-on-one interviews with people who identify as having a mental illness have been combined with expressive portrait photography and compiled into a finished publication.