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I’ve been writing poetry for four years now, and yet this piece somehow manages to be the one closest to my heart. It expresses how no matter how hard you fight for something, if you don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable or allow yourself to be weak, you’re going to end up breaking down anyways no matter the defenses you have up. I’ve struggled with vulnerability myself my whole life, and I used to only show cracks of my weakness through humor, but I’m slowly learning how to open up to others and I hope this piece inspires people to do the same.

I don’t remember where this bruise came from,

it couldn’t have been from

bleeding myself out, I promise

that I’ve never done that

it couldn’t have been from

clenching my fists, I swear

Throughout my life, art has always been the one passion that’s stuck with me the entire time. From when I was just starting preschool up until the present day, there hasn’t been a time where I haven’t been creating. The subjects of my work have naturally shifted as I’ve grown and changed as a person, from cartoonish animals to, most recently, realism and depictions of mental health. 

The common thread through each of my following pieces was the theme of common collective experiences that teens might experience while struggling with their mental health. As someone who has experienced the (issues) depicted in each piece, I wanted to portray my own experiences but also use myself as a symbol to represent the experiences of the broader group of teenagers dealing with their mental health. I’ve sometimes felt as if my struggles didn’t matter or were inadequate compared to what others may…