Twenty one-year-old photographer Edward Honaker documents his own depression in powerful self-portraits. The series of black and white images illustrates the photographer’s experience with depression and anxiety.
In an attempt to raise awareness of the topic, Honaker says about the project:
“Mental health disorders are such a taboo topic.
If you ever bring it up in conversation, people awkwardly get silent, or try to tell you why it’s not a real problem.
When I was in the worst parts of depression, the most helpful thing anyone could have done was to just listen to me – not judging, not trying to find a solution, just listen.
I’m hoping that these images will help open up conversation about mental health issues.
Everyone is or will be affected by them one way or another, and ignoring them doesn’t make things better.
It’s kind of hard to feel any kind of emotion when you’re depressed, and I think good art can definitely move people”
Edward’s face is blurred or covered in all of the haunting black and white photos, which are meant to portray the helplessness felt by someone who is battling a depressive disorder.
“All I knew is that I became bad at the things I used to be good at, and I didn’t know why” Edward recalled of the time before his diagnosis. “Your mind is who you are, and when it doesn’t work properly, it’s scary” he noted.
The Honaker’s series of mental illness portraits are a powerful reminder that while each individual’s experience with depression is personal, the feelings can be universal.