Anxiety

In these uncertain times, plagued by pandemic, wrought with uncertainty, what experience is more common among us than anxiety? Exacerbated by a society consumed by consumerism and obsessed with perfectionism, our collective angst is like a tide that never ebbs. And sometimes it feels like dying.

The weight of living is heavy and the fight to thrive is endless. Sometimes we crack underneath it all. But as we live and learn, fight and fail, these cracks transform from wounds to weapons. Only death is certain, and fear...fear is only a feeling.

The word anxiety is derived from a Latin word meaning “to choke” or “strangle”. It is a natural byproduct our humanity as we confront the meaning of life. Anxiety is one of the great equalizers—a universally relatable experience that evokes very strong, very real emotions begging for artistic expression.  With the pressures of the Covid-19 and social injustice weighing on people around the world, a second pandemic of anxiety has infected our collective consciousness.

Despite how widespread the condition, for many of us, anxiety remains a shameful secret suffered in isolation and silence, leading to a vicious cycle ending in suicide or overdose, both of which have spiked in the past years.  We aim to reach people through their isolation and confront a difficult topic with compassion, arguing that in an image-based consumer culture, shame, denial, and panic are the true enemies of inner serenity. We are all suffering in ways we cannot see as anxiety shatters the social constructs we build around ourselves.

A collaboration with Shannon Ellison (https://nearlyeloquent.com/)

@xshannonellison

More coming soon, stayed tuned.