[click for larger image]Shawna writes:
There's still more art to come, so stay tuned. :)
"The Healing Room is watercolor, watercolor pencil, ink, marker and charcoal on paper.
It is about letting go of the behavior that keeps you trapped and tied to your disorder...
The fingertips are outlined in red to represent the individual (no too fingerprints are alike) because although there are similarities, everyones recovery is personal and unique.
The mismatched butterflies are to show that imperfections can be okay. The Perfect Specimen ideal that we have in our heads and that we observe in the media is usually unreal. The truth is that each person is a patchwork of various experiences, hopes, and struggles that come together to make a one in a million beautiful imperfect individual.
Opening the window and letting go is the theme of this, even though it can be interpreted in different ways. I hope that anyone who may see it can make it have a positive meaning for them."
Can I just tell you how much I love this? Yes, actually, I can, because it's my blog. Well-freakin'-done, Shawna. This piece has SO much going on--in a very good way. It's bright, it's beautiful, and it's achingly artistic, yet it's so much more. It's full of feeling. I can sense the "letting go" and I totally get the message of this. I'm happy to see that the pain of this piece gets transformed into something positive, something freeing. The butterflies are beautiful symbolism and the words scrawled all over are the icing on the cake. Thanks again, Shawna (Atkins)/Ghost Girl - it's fantastic. You rose to the challenge. Look for your piece on the sidebar of my blog for the next month and consider yourself entered in the Giveaway. Here's the link to Shawna's blog: http://stellarscar.blogspot.com/.
Can I just tell you how much I love this? Yes, actually, I can, because it's my blog. Well-freakin'-done, Shawna. This piece has SO much going on--in a very good way. It's bright, it's beautiful, and it's achingly artistic, yet it's so much more. It's full of feeling. I can sense the "letting go" and I totally get the message of this. I'm happy to see that the pain of this piece gets transformed into something positive, something freeing. The butterflies are beautiful symbolism and the words scrawled all over are the icing on the cake. Thanks again, Shawna (Atkins)/Ghost Girl - it's fantastic. You rose to the challenge. Look for your piece on the sidebar of my blog for the next month and consider yourself entered in the Giveaway. Here's the link to Shawna's blog: http://stellarscar.blogspot.com/.
There's still more art to come, so stay tuned. :)
I love all these works of art... They go deeper than the words... They speak directly to the soul...
ReplyDeleteAnd this helps a lot.
My question kind of goes with the art: "...trapped and tied to your disorder"
ReplyDeleteI think as the days go by, I want less and less to recover. Did you have this same feeling when you were in recovery? I desperately want to go back to how things were when I was at overtaken by my eating disorder, and most days I feel like trying to recover was my biggest mistake. I kind of just want to know I'm not a freak. Do you ever step on the scale? I am just not ready to stop weighing in--maybe I'm just not ready for recovery?
I'm not sure if Suzanna's question is for me or Arielle but...I am going to respond as honestly as I can.
ReplyDeleteI do NOT want to recover or be recovered EVERY day. I have read people describe how wonderful recovery is, and I, too, have felt freaky bc Recovery seemed like a Living Hell to me. Yes, I miss the disease...it is familiar and it is comfortable.
I also miss the drugs I used to do. I miss the toxic friends I had, and I miss the feeling of release when i would self injure**.
However, that does not mean that I should go back this behavior or that this behavior is okay. I acknowledge that striving to be mentally/emotionally healthy is HARD and most days I think I am up to the challenge. Some days...not so much. But I give myself permission to acknowledge that feeling. I try to tell myself that i was addicted to starving and my body/mind still miss it, but that it is a disease and if i give in to it, it will ruin the rest of my life. (i am 31 years old. I gave E.D. too much of my time already).
I hope that one day i can eat without suppressing a panicky feeling and that i can get dressed without obsessing over how my clothes fit. Right now, I still have these feelings, but instead of refusing to get dressed or bawling up and crying bc my jeans feel funny, I get ready and GO to work. No, it is not always easy and it took a long time to get to this point.
Your experience may be completely different, everyones emotional state is very complex - I just wanted to share with my experience with resisting recovery. Some people may not have these problems but some of us do. I believe that because our experiences are so varied, discussing and blogging are so important. Sorry this is so long!
Shawna
**I don't miss the sick or shamed feeling that usually came later. I don't miss the look of worry or concern or fear on my mom's face.
superb!
ReplyDelete