Colors of the Soul

As someone who has been in various therapy programs since high school and tried a plethora of medications, it is very important to me to share stories that increase representation of mental illnesses in a non-romanticized way.

Colors of the Soul explores the stark contrast of life during a depressive episode and a manic or hypomanic episode. From my own experiences, there is a degree to which depression is normalized and accepted in modern society. Common symptoms of depression include feeling sad or anxious, a lack of interest in hobbies, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, headaches, and digestive problems. Many people have experienced at least one of these symptoms in their daily life and often are sympathetic to them. However, mania and hypomania do not receive the same treatment. Common symptoms of mania include an elated mood, racing thoughts, little sleep, acting impulsively or recklessly, being easily irritated and distracted, and feeling grandiose. These experiences tend to be looked down upon and shamed.

It is my hope that this project will offer a new perspective on the heartbreak of being harshly treated or misunderstood for feelings and expressions out of human control. I initially wrote the script before I’d been diagnosed with Bipolar 2 which, to me, validates my experiences when I did not know what was happening with my brain. I had initially envisioned the piece as being live action but when I revisited the story and tweaked it slightly a few years later, I felt animation made more sense. Human emotions and perceptions of the world can be very difficult to articulate so it is my hope that animating the piece will make it easier to digest for the audience.