Artist: Anonymous

Title:  Shame: Painfully Beautiful

Medium:  Painting 

Artist Statement: This piece depicts me as a 5 year old and when the abuse started. The next year I would develop Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), as my brain split into parts to protect me so I could survive the trauma I endured. Later in life I developed PTSD as well and went through many periods of experiencing suicidal ideation. Through a lot of therapy and treatment, the suicidal ideation is much less now. But I will have to continue my work in therapy for the rest of my life to work on my mental illnesses.