I have battled with mental illness for the most part of my life. Apart from being diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder in college, I also had Postpartum Depression and I am Bipolar. But I always assumed I had it under control. Then my cousin died.
My cousin died of brain cancer. She was my age. I was confronted with my own mortality. I was anxious, depressed and quite frankly just wondering when death would arrive at my door, and then I rediscovered art—specifically painting.
I say rediscovered because I was an artistic child. But as with most things in childhood deemed unprofitable, unrealistic and passing fancies, I decided to focus on something more stable – a sales career. Although profitable, my depression worsened. I spent a lot of my time hoping to get hit by a bus or become gravely ill, so I wouldn’t have to go to work.