Through The Trees

Photo taken by contributor Jacque, a woman who has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and ADHD. Jacque is a devoted wife to her husband of over 23 years, as well as the mother of two boys. Jacque is from Chicago where she works as a full-time graphic designer and photographer. She loves sharing her stories and photos conveying how art therapy and God are helping her to navigate through the daily challenges of living with BP and ADHD. Jacque enjoys poetry, writing, nature, and music. Her poetry has been published in three books by Silver Birch Press. Jacque is Broken Light Collective’s new Contributing Editor.

About this image: “If I had to create a self-portrait that represents me without shooting an actual image of myself, this would be it. This house was once a church, but now people live there. Its exterior is worn with a sort of sadness to it, yet it’s the light within that was so intriguing as I took the photo. Through the trees, I saw myself and connected with this place. Wanting to be left alone, in the quiet of the woods and wondering if God still visits from time to time…the soft yellow lights gave me hope and reminded me that God still lives inside of me, even during my darkest of days. It is for this very reason, that I find taking pictures helps me to stay well. Sometimes I need to step outside of myself to capture exactly what’s going on inside. It’s only then that I can wrap my head around things and process my feelings. Through the disconnection of self, I’m able to reconnect on a deeper level and bypass the gates of my emotions.”