Photo taken by contributor Carrie Hilgert, a 36-year-old photographer and portrait artist from Northeast Kansas. After venturing into digital photography, she became interested in documenting her life with self portraits. This became particularly helpful when her life started to fall apart due to depression. All her other creative outlets left her, but she could always process her very dark feelings with self portraits. While she is doing much better now, she maintains compassion for those going through these hard things and hopes that her photography can give an honest insight into something that makes most people feel very isolated and alone.

About this photo: “To my only daughter,

I’ve been thinking so much about you lately, although I’m not sure why. As you know, usually my thoughts are consumed with sleep and my social media obsession, but you should know I do think about you and your brothers all the time too. Mostly I think about how time got away from me and instead of this quirky little poppet toddling around, sassing everyone in her path, you have somehow magically grown into this tall, willowy 13 year old with a mind full of creativity and a steely resolve to be unique in this world of sheep.

I feel like I failed you as a woman for many years. I can’t apologize anymore for making choices I thought were right; staying in a marriage to keep from tearing my family apart or making decisions based on a faith I no longer subscribe to. As mother and daughter, our journeys are forever intertwined, affecting one another in ways we can’t even fathom now. It’s a hefty thought, but ultimately we all just have to deal with the aftermath of that somehow.

I have no doubt you will turn your experiences into something beautiful. Just as I am doing now. I see that in you.

I thought I would give you some other things to think about while I’m at it. Just so I have some peace of mind that we covered these topics.

1. There are good men out there, but there are no perfect men. Remember that you’re not perfect either but keep your standards high. You will fall in love, hopefully many times but the capacity to fall in love with someone doesn’t always mean you are meant to be together. This is a hard lesson to learn.

2. Chicken in the skillet is always better when the outside is crispy.

3. Don’t follow any of my laundry practices. Google it instead.

4. Someday you will be glad you have brothers. I know you don’t believe me now, but a couple of them are going to come in really handy at some point. Think moving day, creepy boys with borderline stalker behavior, etc.

5. Be a person of respect. Respect other’s beliefs, lifestyle choices and practices. You don’t have to agree with them to be friends with them. And you don’t have to be friends with them either. I’m just saying, be confident enough with yourself that no one else makes you feel threatened somehow. Give people the freedom to be who they are and you will get that in return.

6. When you come across someone who truly does try to threaten your life choices, just keep walking. Life is too short to include such people in your life. Especially the ones who use fear tactics.

7. Don’t ignore creativity. Sometimes that means you’re going to burn dinner. But that’s ok. It’s that important.

8. The things you hate about yourself are the things someone else might love someday. At the very least, they won’t even matter to the right person.

9. Sometimes it’s ok to sniff your sharpie. Just don’t let it be a gateway drug.

10. You don’t like your body very much now, but remember to talk to yourself as you would a best friend. Try to listen to your thoughts about other people’s bodies and give yourself the same grace.

11. Be happy. Just be happy. It’s not that hard. Do things that make you happy. When you’re happy, so is everyone else around you. It’s the greatest thing you can do in your life.”

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photo taken by contributor Elijah Weerts, a 20-year-old photography student. People have always seen him as the outgoing, fun to be around, positive kid all through his life. He wasn’t ever “allowed” to be sad or at least he felt that he had to be the person who made everyone feel better. He thought that if he showed that he was sad that he was letting people down. Elijah has been a photography major for the past four semesters of college, and every time he does self-portraits people seem to respond to them very emotionally. Whether it be happy, uncomfortable, or sad, people are drawn to them. Photography allows him to show how he is feeling without having to say anything. It lets all of him be shown in a way people can somehow relate to and that’s what he gets passionate about. He wants people to feel something when they see his images. He wants people to actually stop and think about who they are.

About this photo: “Mental Hospital Doctor, Muslim, Evil Villian, Mummy, Ninja, it goes on and on. I’ve heard so many things about what this image makes people think and feel.  I made this photograph to see how people would react based on what you know.  The blank face allows you as the viewer to put a face to it on your own. I wanted the viewer to create the scenario in which they are engaging with this unknown character.”

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photo taken by contributor Stephanie from Knoxville, Tennessee. She has struggled with depression and anxiety since childhood, as well as PTSD.

About this photo: “This is a photo of my two nieces, they are in their teens and the best of friends.  I love this image because it reminds me of my older sister and I, we live about 600 miles apart and I miss her so much everyday.  I love that whether we live next door or states away we are always there for eachother. 

I hope you have someone in your life you can always count on too.”

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photo taken by contributor autisticaplanet, a 33-year-old woman who has Asperger’s Syndrome and accompanying anxiety related to social and sensory issues. She also has OCD. She writes a blog to pass along lifelong lessons to help those, adults in particular, dealing with Asperger’s. She hopes to help neurotypical people better understand the “complexities within the complexities” of autism spectrum disorders. She’s had a passion for capturing images since childhood, when her father bought her a Kodak 110 on vacation. She has been told that she sees and captures what others overlook or miss. Her work has been featured in the Daily Herald as well as The MAAP Newsletter (an online newsletter for those with ASD and those who love them, http://www.aspergersyndrome.org).

About this photo: “I was blessed to find this Robin acting so calm and free in my presence as I walked along the Fox River. He must be used to all the people that are down there enjoying the spring we are finally experiencing. His innocence and wonder is what inspired me to send this picture opposed to another robin I had photographers as well as some ducks earlier in the day. Autistic people can be innocent and prone to being taken advantage of. I hope this guy knows when it’s time to fly away.”

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photos taken by contributor Rachel Bussières, a 26-year-old Quebec
 City, Canada native, currently based out of the North Coast of California. She has been connected to mental illness since her childhood, when she had family members close to her struggling with different mental health issues, including severe depression. Rachel, who has a fine arts diploma and an 
anthropology degree, dedicates herself to 
the study of territories, inhabited or otherwise. 
After receiving a grant in 2009, she traveled and worked in India 
where she developed her artistic approach
 from humanist photography and visual
 anthropology. In 2011, she started to experiment with the fine art of paper making with natural fibers. The paper that she produces now serves as a support medium for her photographs as she continues to expose and publish her work around the world.

About these photos: “These photos are a study about the intimate relationship of the human body with nature. They are part of a whole series on beauty that has been produced in Quebec during winter and in California during summer. They were shot on film and printed on my hand paper.“

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photo taken by contributor Meg, a recovered alcoholic who has discovered not only how glorious life can be, but that everyone can have access to such joy. She has found purpose in supporting people in, not only living lives they love, but in designing the very lives they want to be living. She is a Certified Life Coach and master communicator; an advocate for people’s voices to be heard. She publishes an advice blog,Take It from Meg. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family, particularly outdoors, and especially on her bicycle.

About this photo: “This photograph was taken from the Empire State Building observation deck. There’s nothing like a city street from high up to remind me just how small I am in a world full of egos. I’m not insignificant to many, but I’m even less to many more. Inflated ego is a symptom of alcoholism, among many other things. Remembering that I’m just one of billions is an excellent reminder for me.“

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photos taken by contributor Hayley, a photography and new media student who has suffered from anorexia and anxiety. Her passions include adventure, traveling, music, art, and the outdoors.

About these photos: “This body of work ‘Fairytales’ is about how one can look normal from the outside but the sense of self is determined from the inside. We use our imaginations to take us to places whether good or bad and this can determine the type of thoughts and feelings we are having, as if living in a lucid dream for emotional distance from constant traumas. 

Sometimes reality is depressing and so dreams and fantasy worlds are to escape in to deal with the problems and emotions of the real world. To see like a child and use pictures imagined turned in to reality like a fairytale that becomes existent we can escape and enjoy something that is essentially not tangible.

These images I have hand colored to show that the original photograph is the simplicity of one person and the colored surroundings indicate their thoughts, feelings and imagination.“

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photo taken by contributor Carrie Hilgert, a 36-year-old photographer and self-portrait artist from Northeast Kansas. After venturing into digital photography, she became interested in documenting her life with self portraits. This became particularly helpful when her life started to fall apart due to depression. All her other creative outlets left her, but she could always process her very dark feelings with self portraits. While she is doing much better now, she maintains compassion for those going through these hard things and hopes that her photography can give an honest insight into something that makes most people feel very isolated and alone.

About this photo: “i don’t think there’s anything i look forward to more than a whole weekend of nothing but what i feel like doing. especially with my favorite person present. i’m trying to live in the moment and not allow thoughts of when it will be just me again for a temporary time. i’ll admit, they try to creep in, but i deny them access to my brainspace now.

and i will do whatever it takes to suspend time.”

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photo taken by contributor Heather Hamilton, a 25-year-old woman from Utah. She suffers from major depression, OCD, as well as ADHD. She was officially diagnosed three years ago, but knew long before that she was depressed. She has been going though a ‘down’ time recently, and it seems she finds sadness in everything right now. She’s particularly sad about losing a friend, and knowing they will never reconnect.

About this photo: “This photo was taken with my iPhone 5, and then edited using Instagram. Simple, I know, but I don’t have a camera. These 2 flowers represent myself and my friend who I have lost. Not through death, but through life. The flower that is still budding is me. I have to learn to open up and continue living without him, as the flower next to it, represents him and his new life. He is thriving right now, and I wish him the best. I can continue, though it might be painful to open up in the beginning.”

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.

Photos taken by contributor Stephanie from Knoxville, Tennessee. She has struggled with depression and anxiety since childhood, as well as PTSD.

About these photos: “There were many emotions going through my mind while working on this series, and I think these photos convey those emotions quite well.  I’m not great with putting my feeling into words so I will let you take from these images what you will.  Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts.”

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Like us on Facebook & Twitter. Follow below for e-mail notifications.