Blog #1

If I were to name one piece of art that motivates me to act and engage in social change it would be the last painting ever drawn by Vincent Van Gogh called Wheat field with Crows. The art is a painting of a dark cloudy sky with a bunch of crows and a path that seems to cut off. The painting has a nice double square canvas and conveys very strong dark emotions. It is said to be Van Gogh’s last painting before he committed suicide. This painting was revealed to me in 2nd grade during class, while we were learning about famous painters. The painting motivated me to reach out to all the people in my life and to see where they were mentally. Especially the ones that did not seem to need it . The reason being is that Van Gogh was a very talented artist and had a lot to be proud of but even he could not escape the immense feelings that depression brings. The painting motivated me to try to manage my own happiness and to physically write down everything I am grateful for in my own life. Id say my experience ties in to social change because ever since I came across the painting I started becoming a lot more vocal in regards to the topic of depression and started educating everyone around me about it ever since 2nd grade. I started researching and discussing the causes, symptoms, and repercussions of it. I also discussed the ways in which people can seek help. Now when I look at my social media, Those same family and friends I looked after are now spreading information about this mental health issue as I have noticed that they have been growing for the past 10 years. The reason being for me doing all this was after researching Van Gogh, I came to really admire his work and could not fathom the idea that someone talented like him could ever be depressed. Therefore I became even more interested in him after learning about his suicide. As stated before, the painting inspired me to reach out to everyone I knew especially those who I did not notice the dark emotions in. I truly learned that the mental illness can reach anybody which is why I was so fascinated by it. While I did not create or engage in a broader movement, I would like to view myself as on of those who fight to spread mental health awareness in general and to continue educating everyone I know about the issue. I would go as far as to say that this generation needs it the most and not just for Depression but for Anxiety as well. Although I do not approve of prescribing medication, Therapy needs to gain more popularity since there are a lot of cultures that are still opposed to it. We as people need to make all these resources available, but more importantly to make it normal to talk about this topic.