For years I have lived with depression in silence.  I suffered in my own darkness, while on the surface I wore masks to hide my negative feelings.  To the world I appeared happy, healthy and successful but on the inside, I felt misery, sickness and failure.  I struggled in secrecy, journaling books and books of feelings that I never shared.  On days when I was desperate to share my inner self, I wore purple sweaters, for I believed that their dark color made me look as sick on the outside as I felt on the inside.  My hope was that someone would notice my deep sadness and reach out to me.  Unfortunately, no one recognized this distorted attempt to communicate and I continued suffering alone.  Eventually my depression refused to remain hidden.  My sickness became more and more visible as my inner deterioration developed into outward self-destruction.  I needed a way to communicate my feelings in a manner that was clear and understandable to others.  Finally one afternoon I picked up a pencil and started to draw.  Pages later, I realized that I had finally found a way to reach out without hurting myself.  This journal is the result of my journey to communicate my inner turmoil with others.  Whether you have a loved one struggling with depression or you yourself fight with this illness, I hope that my drawings both communicate my own battle as well as touch a place in your inner self that perhaps you have never been able to articulate.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  amy :)

Welcome to my Unmasking...