As a photojournalist people open their lives to you — sometimes for an hour, sometimes for weeks, or even years. I chose to document my story with depression as an ode to those who share their struggles. I envision it as a guide of understanding and awareness of the silence some people carry with them.
For a long time, I was ashamed of what I was going through. I felt like no one would understand; yet I was desperate for someone to help and reassure me I was okay. As time went on, I began to accept what had happened to me as a chapter in my life — something I would be able to go back to, but still merely one part of a very large, unfinished book.
That chapter, for me, is important to go back and read. I had feared being vulnerable and giving people this very dark piece of me — their judgment terrified me, and the perceptions they could form may not be changed. But upon taking a chance and sharing my experience, I found how deeply others are able to understand.
