The Sequel

The first painting, to the left, I created during my Junior Year of High School. 
It's called "Shame."

The painting to the left was just finished last night, 
and it is entitled "Validation." 

Perhaps the most devastating aspect of PTSD is that the sufferer 
seems forever barraged by bits and pieces of the past
 from which their mind seems incapable of escaping. 

PTSD therapy, the coping skills related to that in particular, 
has a lot to do with using imagery to lessen or even eradicate
 the flashbacks and their triggers, so I decided
 to use imagery in my own fashion to combat a past state, 
a mindset that kept me frozen in time. 

Society is not judging her for being unique
 -- that's a sort of teen angst issue. 
And so Society wears a warmer, more encouraging visage. 
The woman on the beach who is hiding her face 
is no longer crushed by the weight of her own dark thoughts. 
She breaks free of the position that she's held for so long,
 reaches out her hand, and reconciles with her past. 

I paint my perspective.

I dip my paintbrush in empowerment.

I spread all my hopes and aspirations across the canvass, 
colorful and unique.

Each brushstroke covers my past 
and all my fears and worries
 transform into something beautiful, 
something that's part of who I am as a person 
-- a gift, a little miracle, that I can never lose.