Expressing emotions through various artistic mediums

By: Eleana Ramirez | Published in 2021

In addition to experiencing multiple accounts of trauma throughout my life, I also struggle with Bi-Polar disorder. I was diagnosed when I was 14, but it took me 6 years to learn that suppressing my unpleasant and complex emotions when they emerge is not going to make them go away. Sometimes expressing or sharing these feelings to others (loved ones/family members) resulted in me feeling worse because their reactions tended to lack a constructive tone and a more critical and malicious one. Some may argue that I was just engaging with the wrong people, but after I experienced persistent backlash from allowing myself to be vulnerable to others, I decided that my safest option was to limit the possibility of others destroying my self-perception. This acquired lack-of-trust behavior and approach I have towards people developed from my own realization that people will generally accumulate responses based on their personal experiences, beliefs, and overall sense of self. In my opinion, it didn’t make much sense to seek information from people who could potentially give me a deconstructive response that reflects their lack of security or their own internal issues.

Further, I eventually concluded that nobody is going to understand me more than I, and the more comfortable I become with my own fluctuating emotions, the better I will understand and control them.

Throughout this page, I am going to share some of the artistic mediums that I utilized to help me get through times of adversity and trauma. I believe one reason why this was such an effective coping strategy for me is the idea that nobody can tell me that my feelings are invalid. I use aspects of art to express things that I am unable to comprehend in the form of words and even thoughts. Some things were so painful to even just think about, so things like lyrics, videos, digital art, quotes, etc. allowed me to navigate through them rather than avoid them and push them away.

Another positive aspect of this form of expression was the influence I could potentially have on other people who are struggling or hurting. While I may have experienced times where I felt like I had nobody understood or related to me, I hope that the content I create can be a source of comfort for people to understand that someone (me) can relate to them and understand them in some manner. 

Although the art I create and incorporate into my content is intended to help me personally without the influence of others, I enjoy publishing it to platforms such as Youtube and Instagram with hopes for my developments to touch someone else’s heart the way it does for me. With the expectation that my content is not designed for the appeal or validation of others, I use these platforms with my content as a personal collection of emotional expression that I can refer to when I’m seeking insight. Some of the artistic mediums I utilize include video production & animation, Music video visuals (lyrics), and graphic designs of quotes and phrases that are relevant to me.

I use art to express myself in additional forms that are not shown on this page, so if you are seeking an artistic outlet to be utilized as a coping mechanism for yourself, know that there are a plethora of ways for you to enjoy.