Photo taken by contributor Liz Gilbert, a 29 year old graphic artist who has dealt with mental health challenges for over 15 years. She was first diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar at the age of 13. Although the symptoms and delusions altered her teen years, Liz has since grown to become aware of her early signs of depression and has acquired effective coping skills through therapy and the help of her family. Liz believes that anything is possible with the desire to improve.

About this photo: “This photograph was taken a  year or so ago during the first snow. The doll in the picture has a distinct, painted on expression. She’s so sad. I wanted to capture an image of what it’s like to see something slip away and the struggle to hold onto it. In this case, it was seasonal change. After editing the photo to black and white, I feel the statement of loss and struggle is even stronger. It could be the loss of a person, a time in your life, or even sanity. These things we tend to hold so tightly become our identification. The moral of the story is to not allow our possessions to posses us. We become haunted by the things we lose and sometimes it’s best to accept a new season.”

Find more from Liz at her website.

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