WHERE LIVING IS A VACATION

I chose to do my final art piece on a social issue or current event that I feel passionate about and a way to utilize art therapy. The recent suicides in my home town of Lake Orion have really taken an emotional toll on me, my family, and my community. We have lost 9 Lake Orion students ages 15-22 in the past 4 years, 3 of which just in the last month.  This devastation makes me sick to my stomach.  Antidepressants, heroin, and other substance abuse have been the cause of this problem, but the biggest issue is that all of these young people felt ALONE. They had no one to talk to and no way to express their pain...which is why I would like to change that and let people suffering from depression and substance abuse know that there are other ways of releasing their emotions and healing their pain, instead of just ending it all.

This project was extremely therapeutic for me because it was the only way to help express the way I feel about this situation.  I want to also relay a message to everyone in our community, making them aware that there is a problem and people need to stick together and help one another to prevent more suicides from happening in the future.  I've posted an image of my project on a suicide prevention page on facebook in hopes to relay this message as well and would like to pursue working with depressed and suicidal individuals in the future through art therapy. I feel that many people think that no one understand them and there are no options to heal the emotions they are feeling, trapped inside of them, however, I know for a fact that art and the creative process of making art is healing.  Anyone can make art, anyone can release what they are feeling onto paper and it may not heal all of their pain, but it's better than just taking a drug that only makes you feel worse in the end anyway.  I will continue to spread the word about suicide prevention and the benefits of art therapy and together, our community can stand tall and make a difference!