Who we are & why we are

Welcome to the gallery site of Broken Light Collective. We are artists of all levels and abilities who are affected by mental illness. We create and we share our work for the therapeutic benefits to us, as well as others who may be struggling and feeling scared and alone. Together we can move from disconnected to collective.

phoenix tattooPhotos taken by DC, a 32-year-old photographer who suffers from major depression and bipolar II. She was just released from a psychiatric facility where she did an intensive DBT program.

About these photos: “I like to think of the new year as an opportunity for rebirth. It’s a time to reflect – or if you’ve had a tough year like me to try not to reflect – and look ahead to the limitless possibilities. In this spirit I decided to get a new tattoo. Since my inpatient unit was not locked this time I was able to escape and go get it while in treatment – that is, once I convinced the doctors and staff that it was not impulsive or self-harm. I wanted to get something that would be inspirational on my path to recovery, so I got a phoenix on my ankle/foot to symbolize rebirth, rising from the ashes of depression (as well as anxiety, self-harm, bipolar, etc.), and recovery. I think it is wonderful to have a visual reminder of positive progress on the path to recovery – and what could be more appropriate for someone with bipolar than a symbol for cyclical regeneration? After 2 years of daily struggle, hopefully 2013 will be a year of rising for me, as well as the other people of Broken Light and beyond struggling with mental health issues.

____________________________________________________________

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.


7 responses to “Released and Inked”

  1. seeker Avatar

    That is a beautiful symbol, a tattoo of Phoenix. I happen to like tattoo, not on me. My skin is too old for that. Praying for a steady recovery. Take care.

    Like

  2. Bipolar Girl Avatar

    I also have a phoenix tattoo on my arm. It signifies my rebirth after a very close suicide attempt. And for the same reasons as you. I wish you a great new year also!
    I did DBT for a little while, it is great stuff!

    Like

  3. luro97 Avatar

    First of all, as one who has tattoos I think yours is awesome. Reading your story you definitely got it for all the best reasons. Positive thoughts and prayers for you on your journey.

    Like

  4. DeeDee Avatar
    DeeDee

    Awesome choice of tattoo!

    Like

  5. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    Good for You!

    Like

  6. S. Avatar

    Wonderful! I absolutely love it, darling TMS. We should start a survivors of crazy mental illness journeys group and term ourselves the Phoenix Fighters or something equally bad but fun. That way we can be part of group that is for positive reasons.. Rather than being thrown together by our heart wrenching struggles we are united as survivors and fighters, not sufferers.
    Tons of love, as always.
    I hope 2013 is the best year yet for you and yours!
    xoxo -S.

    Like

  7. reverine Avatar

    Love it. My boyfriend has a phoenix on his arm, he raised from the ashes so Im sure you will too.

    Like

Please Join the Conversation!

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: