Fading into Thoughts

"Fading into Thoughts", 2023

A special collaboration between @cajabeats and @artcarolinabf (Xiphopagus III - Collaboration).

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Mental health stages

1 - An individual tries to hide their symptoms and struggles, often by putting on a brave face and pretending that everything is okay. This can be a defense mechanism to avoid being judged or stigmatized for their mental health issues.

2 - The insinuation that something mental is not right. This is where an individual begins to recognize that there is something wrong with their mental health, but they may not yet be ready to seek help. They may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or scared to open up about their struggles, but some people already know about their pain.

3 - Total immersion to pain and total madness. This is where an individual's mental health issues have escalated to a point where they are experiencing extreme emotional and psychological pain. They may be unable to function in their daily life. This is a critical stage where immediate help is needed.

4 - The final stage is the result of all of those stages. This can be positive or negative depending on the individual's access to care and support. With proper treatment and support, individuals can recover and lead fulfilling lives. However, without proper help, the consequences can be devastating. It is crucial to recognize the early signs of mental illness and provide support and resources to those who need it.

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"Amidst the shadows of the mind, Where pain and darkness intertwine, Lies a place of endless gloom, A realm of sadness, a mental tomb.

Here, the weight of sadness bears down, Crushing hope and wearing frowns, And every step feels like a chore, As you walk through life, forevermore.

The clouds of sorrow block the sun, As tears fall down, one by one, And though you try to break free, The chains of sadness refuse to flee.

You pray for solace, for release, For the darkness to finally cease, But the pain endures, unyielding, A never-ending cycle, unrelenting.

Yet amidst the darkness, there is a spark, A glimmer of hope, a small remark, That maybe, just maybe, things will improve, And the pain will one day be removed.

So hold on tight, dear one, hold on, For though the journey may seem long, The light will shine, the clouds will part, And joy will fill your weary heart."

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"Fading into Thoughts" is an abstract long-exposure photography, created with steel wool on fire in pitch darkness, complemented by digital art, a scanner, an open source software and then turned into a GIF.

This piece artfully manages to reproduce the stages of mental suffering in such a way that the pain is understood from beginning to end.

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@artcarolinabf, Carolina, is an autistic artist, a photographer and a writer from Brazil.

@cajabeats, Farid, (b. 1988) is a self-taught artist based in Venezuela. His works are a combination of glitch techniques, physical paintings and AI outputs, resulting in abstract compositions frequently evoking sunsets, the moon and the ocean, as characters representing emotional states and dimensions.