2023

My piece aims to depict a common mental strain that students in particular face a lot of; anxiety. Pressures are piled upon many students, largely from expectations from parents, society, and themselves. Anxiety often goes ignored until it reaches a breaking point for many students though, as there is a culture in pushing oneself until burnout. This is not a healthy practice, and the youth should be educated in the fact that they should allow themselves time to step back, reflect, and get help for any negative emotions they accumulate. The splash of color in my painting, incorporated through the lime green ribbon, represents the help that is available in a sea of warped and grim emotions, show through perspective and monotone colors. It is my hope that through increased mental health awareness, more adolescents will be able to recognize their own mental hardships, and find help in the communities around them.

It is a poster with graphics of people talking to each other, along with a Green ribbon representing mental health awareness, a quote from Lauren Fogel Mersy, and a text box saying that you can talk to each other about Mental issues.

My project shows the green ribbon, representing mental health awareness, and on it are ways that I help my mental health. It shows ways to calm down and how to help with your mental health.

My entry shows a mental health toolbox. This is supposed to reflect ways/ tools to help improve mental health. I drew a toolbox with tools in it to represent the mental health toolbox. On the tools I wrote a few ways that people can check in with themselves and find ways to improve their mental health. A few things I wrote on the tools were to talk with friends and family about any problems you are experiencing, to be well rested, and to eat healthy food, etc. All in all my project is a Mental health toolbox to show ways of achieving great mental health.

My poster is about how to make sure you stay mentally healthy and what to do to stay healthy. My poster provides 4 ways to stay healthy and it has a website name if you want to learn more about mental health. Anyone who has trouble staying emotionally healthy can read this poster and understand it.

My submission, “Floating into Better Health” details a community striving to connect and help those around them. As depicted, community members are giving those in need balloons in the shape of hearts, tied with a green ribbon, emblematic of the Green Mental Health Ribbon. The heart balloons are symbolic of a community’s willingness to devote resources, and more importantly heart and love, to the ones around them, allowing them to “float” into a better mental health. My piece shows the willingness & passion of loved ones helping those in need. In this way, it calls on a community wide effort to help those who are struggling the most.

My submission is about two friends sitting on a bench and one is going through mental health problems. The one on the right struggles with stress and anxiety which has caused him to feel depressed. The person on the left wants to help out his friend by talking to him about what he’s going through and how he can help. This shows that young people can take action by reaching out to the ones they care about who are going through mental struggles and giving them support.

This is how I see me, and how I see my friends. Instead of how they look, see them as they are. Some are quiet, some are shy, but we are all creative and confident. we accept each other as we are… funny, loyal, smart and a bit goofy. We can share about anything, even reach out if we need help. That gives us all hope.

My artwork shows one person handing a “text HOPE” card to another person. The piece is meant to show how offering help, or where to get help and noticing when someone needs it is really important and can shed light on a dark situation. The person at the top of the frame is in bright colors that show happiness and seem to glow. This is in direct contrast to the blue and gray tones on the second person, who, in addition to lying on the table, is drawn in dark colors and surrounded by other shades of gray. The ribbon, bracelet, and card are all references to mental health awareness and resources.

As someone who struggles with mental health disabilities, this prompt really spoke to me. I know what it’s like to have depression, anxiety, and ADHD, it can feel overwhelming, as if there’s no hope and you’re drowning from sorrow and fear, with no chance of escaping. I tried to portray these feelings in the drowning girl, who is desperately grasping for help. Above the water is another girl wearing a lime green ribbon in her hair, and lime green dress, this girl represents hope, which is unreachable to depression, but still trying. Around the two girls are green butterflies that stand for freedom, hope, and peace. While making this art piece, I felt what the butterflies represent; at peace with myself, hope for the future, and freedom from my burdens, and I hope that is displayed in my work.