The book “Shades of Self" explores my personal experiences with depression and anxiety over the last 18 months. It could also be described as a “self-portrait of depression and anxiety”. Through a series of self-portrait photographs and complementary text, my aim is to take a deeper look at a man’s struggle with mental health issues; confronting the stigma surrounding men's mental health. Showing my experiences and battles with mental health will be an example to other's who might be going through similar mental health issues.
Men made up over three quarters of the registered suicides in 2013 (Mental Health Foundation, 2016) and often do not find it easy to come forward to talk about their mental health issues: “Men are not given permission to be vulnerable in society and any interpretation of vulnerability is considered a weakness.” (Dosanjh, 2017). By making this project I want to be able to show other men that it is possible to talk about these issues, to be open about the feelings and struggles we go through.