; And I Choose to Continue
Original Art by a Survivor
Accepting depression is new to me.
I had depression in middle school, but have been fine since.
Until I wasn’t.
A Symbol; A Statement
A was going to jump, to fly one last time. But I didn’t.
Instead, I spent two and a half weeks in therapy. It was there I as pointed to The Hilarious World of Depression and an interview with Ana Marie Cox. This is when I learned of the unofficial symbol of survivors.
In writing, a semicolon is used when a sentence could be completed; but the author chose to continue. It is a pause, a near stop. But not the end.
The Semicolon
This inspired me to paint a piece that included it. So I did the next logical step: I googled it.
And I found some amazing tattoos, recovering pain, and confidence. And I found many that took the semicolon and transformed into birds, music notes, and color.
I found one similar to my final piece and enjoyed the color almost pouring out. It took that moment, that darkness and pulled out beauty and color.
From my own attempt, I could have chosen many ways to react upon release. I chose to paint. To write. To create.
You can buy this painting on my Etsy page.
