Please welcome first-time contributor Chelsea Hart, an Urban Explorer photographer who has been diagnosed with depression. Chelsea finds abandoned houses or buildings and photographs the items left behind by previous owners. She also almost always finds a chair of some sort at each place she visits. Photographing chairs has become Chelsea’s staple for her signature photographs.
About this photo: “This photo represents so many things to me. There is abandonment, isolation, darkness, but also light. There is a mess on the floor, showing destruction. The couch is tattered and worthless. After getting diagnosed with depression almost 2 years ago, I found comfort in photographing abandoned places and items. I feel as if this picture represents a person struggling with depression so perfectly. There’s a mess around them, things are broken and seem worthless (sometimes how we view ourselves), there is darkness in this picture, in the far back corner that catches your eye, but there’s also a light that is shining in the entire room by a whole in the ceiling. We can’t find our purpose and our meaning in life without coming in contact with all the things in this photograph, but we must always remember, there is a light that lights up the entire room.”
Find more from Chelsea on Instagram @chelseahart88
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Broken Light Collective 
I can see how that would be very therapeutic. I get the same sometimes via my collages.
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Ms. Chelsea’s description of her photo really nailed it!
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It’s really good ☺️
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Thanks for this evocative photo.
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Great photo! We may be broken but we are not worthless.
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Chelsea is my highly talented niece and I am so very proud of her, not only for her photographic prowess but for being herself and facing her depression head on. She is truly an awe inspiring young lady.
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Thankyou for sharing your picture. I really appreciate how you have described in detail why you identify with the elements of this image. I have never had any real depression – more like bouts of sadness. However, my wife did go through quite a time of depression after the birth of our last child. It took much prayer, several attempts and years before she was able to come off her meds. Nutrition and excersize played a big role.
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I so relate to the image and to your words.
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