Mental Trials
Though my struggles with mental health may never leave me fully I consider these series almost as therapy sessions that pertain to certain periods of my life. Creating work about my mental health is certainly a form of journaling for me. So take a scroll through my mental trials. See what you can find. It’s not all dark inside.
Therapy Session
2024
This project acted as a therapy session. A way for me to get out the messy imperfection, the crazy hallucinations, the tornado of emotions, and the all-consuming drakness. All to make room for the light within.
Fragmented
2024
Fragmented is a series of watercolor paintings where I explore past memories that have aided in the creation of my own identity. In a way I feel almost disconnected from this project after its completion. As if I needed to get it out of me in order to let it go. I no longer need to indentify with things that do not define me anymore. My identity may be fragmented but that fact alone allows me to always keep an open mind. You must let some things go so that new things may grow. This is my fargmented identity.
Mental Cage
2023
Through deeply personal experiences I aim to spread awareness on the difficulties and long lasting effects of mental illness and trauma. These experiences serve as a reference that reflects my inner thoughts in relation to my outer experiences. This comes in combination with original free thought writing to create an intricate visual representation of my struggles in dealing, processing, as well as healing from years of being caged and chained down by my mental illness. These works serve not only as a way to personally reflect and heal from past traumas, but also as an outreach tool to connect with others who have experienced and lived with mental illness, with the intention of letting them know they are not alone nor are they confined by their struggles.
Intense Emotions
2022
Describing my emotions using words was always hard. However, I could always visualize them. This project aims to visualize strong emotions that come with the challenge of learning to live on your own as a young adult. These emotions include fear, longing for home, and loneliness.
Dream State
2021
I spent my darkest years of dealing with major depression and anxiety in a state of dream-like dissociation. The best way to describe this would be a feeling of watching myself lost in a dark forest wandering around aimlessly not knowing where to go. At the same time the forest seems to be continuously changing, making it so I may never find my way back home again.
Sabrina Petrocco 