Please welcome first-time contributor Jo, a 31-year-old woman from Stafford, UK. Jo was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2012. The disorder took over most of her life and left her housebound and crippled by the physical symptoms of her illness on a daily basis. Jo has always been fascinated by old and decaying buildings so she began using the exploration of these places that time has forgotten as therapy; as well as physical exercise, and a creative challenge. In late 2013, Jo got a DSLR and started to document the places she experienced and photographed on her amateur website. The confidence in her own abilties and now her photography have been key to her recovery.

About this photo: “This photograph is a merging of 2 images together. My eye featured in black and white to illustrate how dull you can feel when trying to deal with the day to day, and the pupil, an image of myself in an old abandoned mine.. for when I am out exploring the forgotten I feel truly alive and vibrant!”

Find more from Jo at her website.