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• WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES SAID
  by Sassafras

  YES WE CAN . . .use our collective wills and effort to express our Love to each other and our Hope for a better day. In the B…

  YES WE CAN . . .use our collective wills and effort to express our Love to each other and our Hope for a better day. In the Bronx, residents riding on city buses, shouted out of windows, and cars honked their horns in celebration while small children slept in their beds and firecrackers sparked in the dark. In Harlem, multitudes of strangers gathered together, cried and hugged each other as the news was announced of the new President-elect. At Rockefeller Center and in Times Square, throngs of people stood together, their flags swayed in the light autumn breeze while smiles etched their faces and eyes bubbled over with tears of joy. We know that the road ahead will be perilous and hard. Yet, in my heart and the hearts of many of us, there now exists the possibility that people of all colors can imagine peace and erect a fresh union. / / Tonight, I wish Barack Obama ,Courage, Fortitude, Divine Inspiration and Godspeed and welcome him as the new President-elect of the USA.. / ..

• It's World Mental Health Day!!
  by silentcries

  No no.. am not suggesting some celebration or something.. though i do wish that more people will understand about mental health, and hope…

  No no.. am not suggesting some celebration or something.. though i do wish that more people will understand about mental health, and hopefully dampen the annoying stigma the society tend to paste on us. Basically i just managed to join Voices of the Dark and the Deep group as an admin. the main reason is because i was hoping to get a place for some of us to gather and share our experiences and help each other. due to time constraints, the forum’s not really well formatted and categorised yet.. but the first section i made is certainly for there to stay (i hope)! Tips & Advices From The Experienced Section / i realized from Karin’s journal to help me, Clinical Depression & Silent Cries that many of us here actually do suffer from some form of depression or bad health or mental health problems.. What are some of the different Mental Health Problems? / Check out the list on the left hand side of this website or this page for those who have no idea what genre are those under (there’s that many different form and names). i think some of us who have a form or another of mental illness will agree with me that the public need to be seriously educated that there are actually many form of mental illness eh? Well, we may not be able to educate everyone, but we can try by slowly educating the one closer to us. Easier said than done. / is that what you’re thinking? hehe.. yesh, i read minds… / i agree. it’s seriously easier said than done. i know because i’ve been trying to educate 1 lady for the past 4yrs, and till now, i still fail. but hey!! does that mean i should stop trying? if it’s for my own good, why should i stop? it’s frustrating, yes. i agree. but it’s really important we try to educate those close to us ie. friends and especially family because they’re there to stay and (hopefully) support us someday. Anyway, back to the point… the Tips & Advices From The Experienced Section is create with the idea of us sharing some tips and advices we might have, be it from personal experience, or from the experience of someone we love. But it is in no way a professional advice section. So ultimately, if you or someone you know, if having a medical problem that might be related to mental health, please please do seek proper professional medical help. Visit your GP, or the hospital. Seek help. It’s nothing abnormal. How can it be with millions around the world suffering from it. Seek treatment. Work towards recovery. Be strong. And screw the stigma society paste on our medications, aka “Happy Pills”. The ignorant masses will call it Happy Pills. / Many in general tend to think that it’s bad to depend on medication. “You’re get addicted.” “Why are you taking Drugs?!” “Are you nuts!?” and yadda yadda yadda.. Basically most of us know the general public believes that it’s bad to get addicted to our “Happy Pills”. But my advice is please please, stick to your medications as prescribed by doctor don’t bother taking extra (i’ve tried, it doesn’t work that way) don’t try to wean off it without consulting your doctor first (i’ve tried it and it backfire and even worsen my condition) don’t believe the public stigma about being addicted or dependent on the medicine. Why the last statement? Because i feel the public lack 1 understanding about mental illness and how our medicine works. They are not professionals. Yes, our medicine will not help solve the problem. that’s a silly notion to believe. BUT, the correct belief we should have is, our medicine is there to help us. Yes, it doesn’t help solve the problem. medicine is there to help us internally, where we can’t control, eg, the chemicals in our brain or the hormones our body releases as time passes. (am not refering to teen raging hormones, but rather some illnesses DO happen due to our body changes, releasing of some hormones that may lead to things like weight gain or hair loss that can lead to depression). So yea. The medicines prescribed by doctors are supposed to help us internally. IF at any point it seems like it’s not helping or your problem is getting worst, return to your doctor and tell him that it’s not helping or it’s getting worst. tell him how is it worst (in detail). if there is no improvement or changes in a few months, seek a second doctor’s opinion. Now, while our medicine are there to help us, we ourselves mustn’t believe in the public stigma that our medicine is a Happy Pill. No, it isn’t. It’s there to help us internally. That’s all. Ultimately, we ourselves must work hard to solve the root of our problems. / We ourselves must work hard to improve and stay healthy. / We ourselves must find solutions to help us deal with our situations and problems. We must work towards our own happiness, not depend on just medication. Don’t ever stop seeking help. Take care of yourself. Love yourself. May we all feel and get better by the next WMHD.. Take care. Be Strong. Be Healthy. Love and hugs, / fa Check out Karin’s journal here!! Help spread the word and promote awareness!! =D

• It's WHMD - let's take care and love ourselves! =D
  by frozenfa

  WHMD = World Mental Health Day It’s World Mental Health Day today, 10 Oct 2008. Just finish a writing...

  WHMD = World Mental Health Day It’s World Mental Health Day today, 10 Oct 2008. Just finish a writing on this topic. It’s World Mental Health Day. So do check it out. If you don’t fancy the bigger and fancier fonts used for RB’s writings mode, check out the journal version of my writing instead. HAVE YOU LOVED YOURSELF, PEOPLE?! XD / / Take care. Be Strong. Be Healthy. Check out Karin’s journal here!! Help spread the word and promote awareness!! =D

• Recovering
  by S.I. Sheehan

  My deepest apologies to one and all for not responding to comments, or commenting, until today. For over a week I have been afflicted …

  My deepest apologies to one and all for not responding to comments, or commenting, until today. For over a week I have been afflicted with the most intense allergies I have ever had. The effect has been flu-like, sneezing, ears plugged, itchy throat, eyes watering. It has been interesting suffering with this, and working full time. I am just about back, though. All that is left is the lingering sluggishness that accompanied the ‘illness’. I hope that all will be patient with me as I move through the replies I am so behind on :-)

• Cranes and prayers
  by Mui-Ling Teh

  Some of you may remember this image “For …

  Some of you may remember this image For Karin Taylor. I took this picture the day I read Karin Taylor’s journal about her son’s friend Mitchell who was very sick, and many Redbubblers prayed for him. Karin has shown me continuous kindness and support here on RB. She comments my work very often and I could never forget how she has responded so well to my previous journals months ago where I asked for advice: Seeking feedback. Would people buy these? / Origami Passion I prayed for Karin and Mitchell and brought out these cranes saying to myself “I wish Mitchell will be well” with each one I brought out. Upon posting the image more people joined in to pray for Karin and Mitchell, and Karin asked me to make it available for sale so that she could give it to Mitchell as a get well card. Karin has just received that card, however Mitchell has been long out of the hospital now; he has recovered miraculously fast, and it is thanks many prayers. I’d like to thank everyone who commented on “For Karin Taylor” and joined me and many other bubblers in wishing her and Mitchell well. You can see the card in the buyer’s booth, and please have a look at Karin’s lovely work! Though I believe many people watching me know her already. Karin Taylor

• Back!!
  by Vicki-lee McCann

  Well I had a lovely couple of days in hampshire with my nanny and Glastonbury as a day out! Was brilliant and i’ve taken some wonderful n…

  Well I had a lovely couple of days in hampshire with my nanny and Glastonbury as a day out! Was brilliant and i’ve taken some wonderful new photographs too! Hope you all like them! My foot isn’t as painful as it was but its still ouchie! so when i walk around the house or whatever i’m not using the crutches but for long outings e.g. Glastonbury i walk with the sticks hehe!! I’m on the road to recovery! Vicki xx

• Picture Imperfect: A Portrait Journey of Eating Disorder Recovery
  by Erin Kroll

  Picture Imperfect Maine photographer paints a more / hopeful picture of eating disorder recovery / PORTLAND, ME- Photographer,...

  Picture Imperfect Maine photographer paints a more / hopeful picture of eating disorder recovery / PORTLAND, ME- Photographer, Erin Kroll, has a lot in common with the images she captures. A sense of stillness and depth lights her eyes as she speaks about her battle overcoming anorexia and how courage came unexpectedly through the lens of a camera. Eating disorders, like anorexia, are serious illnesses with a biological basis that are often influenced by emotional and cultural factors, making recovery even more difficult. “There is so much silence and shame around eating disorders in our culture.” says Kroll. “When I was sick I just wanting to literally disappear, a wanted to be invisible.” And Kroll isn’t alone, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, nearly 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life-and-death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Millions more are struggling with binge eating disorder. Without recovery, Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Kroll speaks candidly about her struggle, with the same tender grace that comes across in her work. It’s from this authentic and vulnerable place that she inspires. “I stopped shooting when I stopped eating”, says Kroll, “I didn’t touch my camera for two years. I was consumed by fear, anxiety and self-doubt…I starved myself of everything that could possibly make me happy and fulfilled. My eating disorder pulled me away from myself and all the things that gave joy and meaning to my life. Unfortunately, photography was one of them. There was no passion, no purpose, and no voice. I was totally empty. “ Kroll says that her road back to health began with wanting to be more than empty. “People always ask me how I was able to ‘let go’, I don’t really have this elaborate answer.” Kroll mentions that it is common for people with eating disorders to contemplate recovery. Tragically, the majority of those who suffer continue to be affected throughout their lives. “There’s no such thing as shotgun recovery,” says Kroll. “There is no external cure, no pill, no self-help book that can free someone from the illness that they have created. In the beginning, I put my recovery in the hands of someone else. It was exactly like riding shotgun off a cliff with no one at the wheel. I crashed horribly.” “In the end, we are each responsible for our own wellness. Loved ones can encourage and validate, but they to have to learn to let go, they can’t save you if you don’t want it and you have to want it- you have to want to get better! You have to think about what you’ve lost and decide what you want recovery to mean for you. I was sick and tired of just existing, of being completely defined and governed by my eating disorder. I wanted the things it took from my life; I longed for fullness. Most importantly, I wanted to live! I saw a glimmer of something more in me and that was enough-I truly wanted to get better.” Kroll’s journey led her to the New England Eating Disorders Program at Mercy Hospital in Portland . “I was reluctant and terrified, but I was out of options. My life was spinning out of control. My body was shutting down. I knew I had surrender fully to recovery and I needed to be in an intensive treatment program to do it. The months I spent at Mercy were the most challenging and rewarding in my life!” Kroll explains that combined with intensive group therapy, weekly art therapy sessions helped her reclaim her voice and rekindle her creative spirit. Slowly she began to shoot again. “I felt like I was seeing everything for the first time. I felt more connected with the world around me, more patient and open. I felt alive. Each click of the shutter was a moment to celebrate life. It was amazing.” Celebrating life and exposing unexpected and often overlooked beauty is a common theme in Kroll’s photographs. As she works to cultivate her own inner beauty and self-worth, she strives to capture in her work, what she calls the aesthetic of imperfect, “It’s not easy” she says, “photography, by nature, can be such a superficial art. I find the more I appreciate myself, the more I am able to draw substance and soul into my images.” Drawing inspiration from Zen Buddhism, eastern philosophy, surrealism and the graphic design, her photographs convey a subtle but important message,. “I spent years chasing the impossible dream of ‘perfect’ and it nearly killed me.”I was unable to grow as an artist. I was always trying to create the perfect piece, take the perfect shot, and wait for the perfect light, use the best equipment. It just wasn’t happening. I continued to feel like a failure. Failure doesn’t exist in an imperfect world. Until I learned to let go with grace and dignity and accept imperfection, I simply could not appreciate the authentic beauty within and around me.” In a little less than a year, Kroll has transformed her life and the lives of those around her. Last winter, she launched Pink Dragonfly Clothing, an inspirational t-shirt company that supports eating disorder awareness and education. Seeing a tremendous need for Eating Disorder Outreach in her community, Kroll has set out to establish a non-profit that will offer free, recovery-based, support services and educational programs in Southern Maine . Kroll hopes to be able to offer the model nationally in the future. “Anorexia starved my spirit and silenced my voice. For fifteen years I hid my illness from the world and myself. I lived in shame, secrecy and denial. Picking up my camera again, returning to my creative roots, has freed me from the silence. Now all I want to do is engage, educate and inspire.” In a media culture that is overrun with harmful images, icons, and ideals of beauty, Kroll says that as a photographer contributing to the media landscape, she has a responsibility to produce work that inspires hope and represents courage. “Somehow, it’s become socially expectable and expected of artists, especially photographers, to document tragedy suffering and the grotesque, as a means to validate authenticity in the image and human experience. I am not discounting the value that painful imagery have in our media , and I’m not denying the existence of suffering, I just want to people to understand that there is another side to it all, another story to tell.” Telling the ‘other side of the story’ is exactly what Kroll is doing with her latest project, Hope/Full: The Warrior Portraits. As traveling interactive photography exhibition with a companion book, Hope/Full will tell the inspirational story of people who have recovered from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, celebrating the fullness they have found in health, their passion for life and the people they have touched along the way. While still in the early stages of production, Kroll says that she has already received requests from people across the country eager to sit for portraits or support the project, but she says that many more are needed. “There is strength in numbers. The more representation and diversity I can bring to this project the more powerful the message will be.” She encourages anyone who is interested in participating to contact her. In bringing the exhibition into communities and schools Hope/Full will engage a new dialogue about eating disorders, self-esteem, and body image, ” one you won’t find in the media or popular culture” says Kroll, and inspire hope in those still suffering in silence and solitude. # # Resources & Information For more information about Hope/Full: The Warrior Portraits Project call 207-615-2283 or email Erin Kroll at erinkroll@yahoo.com or visit www.erinkrollphotography.com Body Positive Outfitter, Pink Dragonfly Clothing Co supports self-esteem and eating disorder awareness, helping fund research and educational programs. Visit www.pinkdragonfly.org for more information About the Artist: Portland native, Erin Kroll spent the majority of her childhood scribbling crayon on her bedroom walls. Naturally, a camera seemed like a better alternative. Kroll studied photography and design at the Harrow School of Communications and Creative Industries at the University of Westminster in London . She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Goucher College in Towson , Maryland . In 2004 she returned to Maine to pursue a career in marketing and advertising. When not looking through a camera lens, Kroll enjoys traveling, exploring the Maine outdoors, and giving back to her community.

• texas pete! i knew it was you...
  by Rella

  all along / there has been a little something / hiding behind the other things / cackling in camouflage / and violently sabotaging / my recove…

  all along / there has been a little something / hiding behind the other things / cackling in camouflage / and violently sabotaging / my recovery well I’m onto you and I’m going to find out how to fix you / for good I hope… here’s a blurry update

• Prisoned Mind and Spirit Collaboration w/Sean Farragher Featured at Poetry Barn
  by Amber Elizabeth Fromm Donais

  This Piece About Addiction any KIND… Those voices we call demons that live inside us that want to control instead of Letting Go and…

  This Piece About Addiction any KIND… Those voices we call demons that live inside us that want to control instead of Letting Go and Letting God for We have no Control of People Places Things. To Surrender and find Spiritual Freedom To have Grace Is God’s Ultimate Gift….. I believe that all People have a little and at times big monster that wants to come out the best thing we can do to free ouselves from acting out and or harming ourselves or others is to turn those thoughts over to God … I had written this piece and Sean said I could use some of his beautiful and exquisite Art…. The Picture so stood out to me … It reminded me of the place I could dwell and the place I did dwell before I recognized those inner dark voices… and found a relationship with God my higher power… / God Bless You All / Amber Elizabeth

• Collaboration
  by Amber Elizabeth Fromm Donais

  Expression is the food for the soul… The ability to share one’s heart and mind with others and to communicate is truly a gift.and bless…

  Expression is the food for the soul… The ability to share one’s heart and mind with others and to communicate is truly a gift.and blessing Working on a collaboration with a quite eloquent photographer looking forward to the result … Thank You for the positive comments and feedback…Such beautiful work lies in this redbubble / Amber Elizabeth….

• 6/5/2008 6:45pm
  by conceited

  Still in an awkward place / still feeling a little lost / emotions that i have had / have turned to bitterness and hate. / the luster of happ…

  Still in an awkward place / still feeling a little lost / emotions that i have had / have turned to bitterness and hate. / the luster of happiness has changed / to loss of self and worth I am a recovering drug addict / recovering from heart ache, disbelief, lies, and hate / i don’t ever feel like getting high / although, at the same time… / i don’t like feeling the way i am currently / but getting high wouldn’t fix my problem / so there’s no need to go out and waste my life on that. / writing helps me get my emotions out / even though i am trying to hide from them right now. encouragement would be gladly appreciated at this time -joe p.s. suggestions of great art for me to look at / would/could cheer me up… something beautiful / to conter-act with the way i feel.

• recovery
  by conceited

  the need for acceptance of something better then me that is the opposite sex / is what i thought would make me better, but a better unders…

  the need for acceptance of something better then me that is the opposite sex / is what i thought would make me better, but a better understanding of who i am / and where i’m going, makes me feel a whole hell of a lot better. I am a good person / who lets people walk all over him… for what reason, low self esteem? I am working on me from now on, a change.. for the better, whether you like it or not, me being happy is the most important thing to me, and if you don’t wanna be invloved or wanna help… / i guess you can go on your merry little way and stay the fuck away from me! mattchew n niki I t leave joshy out d=)

• Ever lost your pics?
  by Marko Palm

  I recommend to fellow bubblers one good program that has helped me save my photos many times. This software is very useful if your memory…

  I recommend to fellow bubblers one good program that has helped me save my photos many times. This software is very useful if your memory card fails and you loose your images on card. / It may help you as well if you accidentally deleted your photos before copying them on pc. Just remember if you have memory card failure then do not format, don´t make new photos before you have restored photos from your memory card. / This program is called Art Plus Digital Photo Recovery / You can download this helpful program from download address: http://art-plus-digital-photo-recovery.en.softonic.com/ I hope this recommendation was useful for you and you can recover lost images when bad things happens sometimes with memory cards!

• Let them go
  by markmcgrath2

  Although they are all around me / despite that they are always watching me / contrary to their wishes for me / aside from my inclinations to…

  Although they are all around me / despite that they are always watching me / contrary to their wishes for me / aside from my inclinations to pander / they are the ones who worry. / must let them go

• So here I am in this fishbowl....
  by Ben Kern

  I am blocked today. Actually, the art is flowing in, but not out. The previous sentence is a perfect example of how I sometimes don’t see…

  I am blocked today. Actually, the art is flowing in, but not out. The previous sentence is a perfect example of how I sometimes don’t see clearly. What I mean is that I wrote and did course work, but I didn’t do nearly as much painting as I had planned. So I overlook my accomplishments and throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. Dealing with what I call chronic grief has been, for many years, my biggest source of blockage as an artist. But today, I had what some might call a breakthrough in that I was able to write about it. This piece is called “How Are You?” and can be found as my first written work on RB. It began as a letter to my son on his 17th birthday. The everlasting question is as it has been for most of his life; what can I possibly do to make a positive impact on his life? What gift could I buy to try and equal the measure of love that I have for my sons? A shrug of the shoulders… For years, this has been the first part of the process, repeated countless times. But today, I wrote.

• Finding out who I am
  by Jessica Williams

  Sometimes I feel like for the past ten years I’ve been in a coma, and this hell I’ve lived has been nothing but one long bad dream. I wa…

  Sometimes I feel like for the past ten years I’ve been in a coma, and this hell I’ve lived has been nothing but one long bad dream. I was in the coma so long, that now that I’ve woken up, I have amnesia and have no idea who I am. Looking at the picture ID and seeing nothing more than a name and a face. I feel like someone else’s memories have been planted in me, and I’ve been living someone else’s life. This isn’t me, and this isn’t really my life. More and more I am having flashes of who I really am… A high priced attorney or a hotshot executive, with a husband and kids, and a real family. Nice home, white picket fence.. and don’t forget the family dog! This fake memory of a woman who got trapped in a struggle with addiction to alcohol, got stuck in one abusive relationship after another.. the longer the nightmare dragged on the worse it got, till I finally ended up in prison and then on parole… none of this can truly be real.. can it? The nightmare must be ending now, because I’ve completed my parole and have graduated from my outpatient program. I am having more and longer visions of the highly successful woman I’ve known deep down has been there all along. I’m seeing more and more of her lately, and I’m finding out that I’m not the only one that’s been seeing her, so it must be real.. right??

• Mad but not demented
  by Gwendolyn Marshall

  As I bite my lip, I love my son; he is not to blame. A year ago, he was a normal young man. He loved, lived and laughed. Crossing the …

  As I bite my lip, I love my son; he is not to blame. A year ago, he was a normal young man. He loved, lived and laughed. Crossing the street one-day, he was hit by a speeding motorist. The vehicle never even slowed as my son spun in the air twice and landed on his head. My son has always been lucky. Passers-by stopped their vehicles in front and behind him to stop other vehicles from hitting him and within 45 seconds and RCMP officer was onsite and administered CPR to my son, who was not breathing. The officer managed to restart my sons heart and breathing but was very reserved when he called and picked me up to bring me to the hospital. His manner let me know that although my son was alive at the moment, I should not get my hopes up; he went so far as to ask if this was my only child. It was. He looked at me with nothing but sympathy and expressed his sorrow for my loss. I went nuts and screamed at him. “I thought you said he was alive”. He apologized and explained, he is alive but he is gravely injured and there is not much hope for his survival. This man obviously did not know the resolve of the Irish. I was a passenger in a vehicle that hit a telephone pole. It took emergency workers 45 minutes to pry the passenger door open and to cut away the dashboard that was trapping me. The front of the vehicle had buckled, pushing my legs into my torso. As I was dying I screamed at the emergency workers to call my work and tell them I would be late and to get my purse, I would need my keys to enter without disturbing my father in law. My heart stopped in the ambulance and the emergency workers gave me life saving CPR. Allowing the time necessary to allow the doctors in VGH to work their magic. 14 operations later, I am a fully independent person. Working full time from a wheelchair and living on her own. After 2 days when we did not know if he would live, and then 2 weeks when we did not know if he would wake up and then the 3 months where we did not know if he would regain his eyesight…and it continues to this day…Some things are gone forever and some are just forgotten until he can relearn them. I want the recovery I had for my son. His injury is less physical than mental. Short-term memory is so necessary, (although most of us have recent moment we would prefer to forget); my son has difficulty remembering what year we are and the date. It is not likely this will improve but we can pray. Because my son did not have a valid driver’s license while walking, he will not receive a cash settlement. His driver’s license expired 30 days before the accident. If the driver had been caught he would have been able to sue, because the driver was not caught, the government insurance agencies position is we do not know who is responsible, therefore no one is and you are not covered. Sorry if your life has been changed irrevocably. We have decided that we will persevere.