The central idea of my sustained investigation is to show how I cope with my depression. Throughout my high school career, I constantly asked myself, how are my emotions connected to the artwork I make? Through exploration, I found I am more motivated to make art when I’m diving into my mental world. 

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Image 1 represents loneliness. When I transferred to my current high school, I couldn’t adapt to the new environment. I used acrylic and marker to depict a surreal scene of a girl talking to puppets to imply isolation. Image 2 depicts my struggle with school work. I used black charcoal to represent the dark night. Image 3 represents the reach for hope. Image 4 depicts sickness and helplessness. Image 5 depicts my worst state of mind when I couldn’t stop torturing myself with negative thoughts. Image 6 depicts my dream of having a colorful life. Image 7, 8 and 9 are created based on my diary, which is an important stage in my depression. During that time, I expressed all my feelings to my diary. From 2017 to 2018, I filled a 400-page diary, where I gradually opened my heart. In the process, I recorded all the joyful or sorrowful moments of my life. Image 10 represents the huge contrast between what’s showing on my face and the actual torned version of me beneath the surface.