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I wish people didn’t think silence was awkward, just enjoy it. Not every space has to be filled with words.

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The Secret Dual Lives of People Living With Mental Illness

Liz Obert feels the dual life she led for so long isn’t unique for people who suffer from mental illnesses and who “must mask their symptoms in order to function in the outside world.”

In 2013, she decided to begin a series that dealt with the realities of what it means to put on a brave face while simultaneously coping with forms of depression. Starting with herself, Obert took two photos: one that showed the person she chooses to present to the world, and a second portrait that presented an image of how she existed behind closed doors when feeling depressed.

“I hope to give a glimpse to the viewer about the internal lives of people who struggle with disorders that are often misunderstood,” she wrote in an artist statement about the series “Dualities.”

So far she has made 10 dual portraits and is hoping to expand on the project, but finding willing participants hasn’t been easy.

“A lot of people are free and open about it,” Obert said. “But I’ve definitely approached people who were like no way, this is too public.”

She feels a lot of it has to do with an ongoing stigma about mental illness in the United States.

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I am too poor to have this high of a weed tolerance

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a midnight portrayal

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Illustration by Bob Venosa from Omni magazine #1, 1978

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CHRISTMAS JEWELS

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