“Who I Am”

I have been creating art for as long as I can remember, using it as an outlet, a tool of expression, and a voice. It’s been a safety net that many alters have run to for a long time. So much so that I am able to trace back who I was or who was in control based on the work we created at the time. We unintentionally draw and paint ourselves in our work and the memories we each hold become the themes of our work. The alters that hold memories of moving and abandonment create work based on those feelings; the work of alters that hold feelings of confusion and isolation mirrors how they feel; and those that focus on love and connection make art about that.

When I say my art is who I am, I mean it. It is literally my identity. We are painting ourselves and our story into our work. This is the secret behind my work; if you look close enough you can see the real me. So, we invite you to get to know the real us. We invite you to get to know our vulnerability, fear, defensiveness, and love in this work and truly see who we are. 

What is DID?

DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) is a mental condition characterized by the existence of two or more different personality states, with distinct behavior, memory, and cognition, in one individual. DID develops in early childhood due to trauma and severe stress. A predisposition to dissociation and external instability leading to self-soothing in childhood are also tied to DID.  Some symptoms experienced by people with DID are time blindness, memory loss, identity confusion, and feeling detached from their body and surroundings.  

What are alters? 

The term for those “different personality states”. Each have different behaviors, memory, and cognition. It varies case by case and alter by alter. Alters control the body at different times in order to keep the body functioning and safe. What that means depends on the person.