Ellen Forney

Because I've started trying to read before bed instead of watching TV, and because I mentioned this graphic novel to my flatmate who also struggles with depression but doesn't read books, I started re-reading Ellen Forney's graphic memoir Marbles.

I read it a couple of years ago after reading an article in The Guardian about graphic memoirs. Writing and illustrating a graphic memoir is a much more personal way of sharing experience compared to plain text or even film, as the work is in the author's own hand, so there is a sense of realness and relatability that doesn't come across in other mediums. The work is accessible too - the drawings are simple and there's not a lot of text to overwhelm the reader, especially when addressing such a serious topic.

However, not only did this personal account of Forney's own bouts of depression and her struggle with bipolar disorder provide a sense of solidarity for me, it also discussed how Forney coped with her depressive episodes and methods to combat negative thoughts - some of which may be helpful for me?

This one I thought was particularly interesting: 

I've not done a self portrait in a while, but I have in the past sketched myself in my diary when I'm feeling upset. I don't use my diary often, only as a tool to vent when I'm particularly angry or upset and don't feel I can talk to a real person for whatever reason. Drawing myself does help transfer some of the negative emotions out of me, as well as writing my thoughts and feelings. Kind of like a dream-catcher's supposed to catch nightmares, a diary/sketchbook can trap negative feelings.

I might start drawing more self-portraits when I'm upset, and take a page out of the Visual Language book and draw lots!