Hello Depression

I just made up my mind to post on Go Fund Me.

 http://www.gofundme.com/hptv0o

My project is called Hello Depression

Hello. I am an artist in search of reaching people who suffer from depression. I have been diagnosis with a major depression disorder myself.  I have fought this for years, but it seems to be coming on more frequently despite medication, a better diet and exercise and therapy.

I suffer as I know many others do. I really want to launch a project called Hello Depression using the art quilts and art I create as an avenue for reaching those with depression and for those who do not have it--become aware of those of us with depression.

Last year, there was a huge pause in our daily life when we saw legend Robin Williams, a comic genius die. Although we may never know the true story behind his death, he is forever gone. The press was on it, people were talking about it, some shook their heads and wondered why. For those of us with depression, we hoped it would call attention to this un-healthy situation, but no. We were in the mist of people dumping buckets of water onto their heads! So, it was the other people's disease.

I am old enough to remember the impact the AIDS Quilt Project http://www.aidsquilt.org/ had on our society.  Hello Depression, is not projected to reach that epic number, but I want to start this with the visual  impact of my own work and see where it goes.

In 2013, I began a blog called Depression Heads, http://depressionheads.blogspot.com/ . The blog came to me as an amateur writer, talking about my life as an artist with severe depression. I have written about all aspects of my depression from the early years, people in my life, family, health, sleeping too much, romance, humor and deep sadness. I have reached over 2,000 people and I hope to increase that.

Hello Depression will fund creating new art works, an artist brochure, contacting host galleries, schools, medical facilities, treatment centers,  for exhibitions/ transportation costs, a list of local mental health resources, publicity and postage, travelling costs, insurance, mailing list, and possible hands-on workshops related to the exhibition starting in 2015.

I am a former public school art teacher from Ohio.  I have a B.S. and a M.A. in Art Education with a special endorsement in Gifted Education.  I was the kid in the corner who was always drawing, attending after school art classes when I could and had others asking how do you do that?  I am an award winning art quilter, with a  lot of exhibition experience.  I have great organizational skills. (Think writing art lesson plans, researching, colaborating with other artists, public speaking skills, getting art supplies as cheap as possible, working with inner city, rural school children, preschool, public school, an adjunct at a  college, other art teachers and adults.)
I would consider this my greatest contribution to the darkest thing I know- depression.

If you have any questions, or could see being a part of this project and just want to chat please contact me.

Thank you .