Art Saved Me From My Mental Health Issues

Borderline personality disorder has affected me for many years now, but I was only diagnosed earlier last year in 2015.

Having BPD (and I use the word “having” rather than “suffering” or “living with”) is quite common, but for me it has shaped my life in both positive and negative ways. It is my art and creativity that’s affected most by my BPD, and yes, that’s in a good way.

See when I’m down, or I start to get the feeling of ‘dropping off the edge of the earth’, I simply pick up a pen, pencil, brush or even a spray can and get creative. This stunts my feelings; it stops them immediately and all the negativity and depression seem to drift off into my creation.

Does this mean that my work is full of anger or doom and gloom? Not in the slightest. My varying moods when I’m creating have helped to shape my work. My styles chop and change as quickly as a yo yo on a string, but I know each and every image I create has my own signature style and feel to it.

BPD has unfortunately made me lose out on many things; relationships, friends, jobs and has even caused me to live rough on the streets at points in my life. All this is part and parcel of having BPD for me, but one thing that will always, ALWAYS keep me on track is my art.

I urge anyone with BPD or any other type of mental illness to pick up a pen and create; it saved my life. Here below is a selection of some of the art I have been creating over the years. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope I can inspire you to get involved and beat the demon within via creativity.

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