Photography

Advocating for mental health awareness. Being an individual who suffers from mental health and substance abuse disorders, I want to help shed a light on these disorders and the emptiness and sadness they bring to everyone’s life. I want to help educate those who are uneducated that addiction is a disease and not a choice brought on by the individual suffering. Do not pardon these individuals with the inhumanity a lot of society does, but with the basic human kindness they deserve. Please continue to educate those who you think struggle with either of these disorders.

When I was in rehab, I couldn't help but ask myself, why? Why was this happening to me? Why did I let this get out of control? Why can't I find myself, once more? I created this art piece/poem by simply uncovering words from an old book, ones that spoke to me- in reflection of Why. Thank you.

This photo is from a photo project called In Geometric Terms. Karen has shown this body of work at multiple locations, including Harvard Neighbors Gallery at Harvard University. Geometric Terms shows how the body can be seen in mathematical terms, rather than societies definitions. Geometrical shapes and sizes are found in each of us, which is such a softer way to look at our form than the judgement from ourselves and others.

I captured this photo of my best friend. He has been in recovery from alcohol for 7 months. He is an Army veteran. This picture shows that he is healing from his battles. He's looking back but he continues to push forward. As the photographer, I understand the darkness that surrounds him because I have been there. We understand each other even though our stories are different.

This is a picture of my very first scene created using gummy bears and playdoh. It would become one of several creations that were eventually dubbed the Gummy Bear Chronicles. The photo is a first person point of view of a concert scene with filter applied.

This photo of the Boston skyline as a storm is approaching shows that two things can co-exist at once. Grief and love. Pain and hope. Happiness and sadness. This is the dialectic we learn to live with in recovery. The "and" rather than the "but." And how we learn to give ourselves grace and time to heal. And to face the hard days and challenges while holding onto hope that the pain will not last forever.

Jade Casanova: Jade Casanova is a person in long term recovery. During ages 18-21 is when she endured her time of being in active addiction. She knew it was time to get sober when she became a mom. Jade says her most successful accomplishment is being a mom to her son, Joshua James and her daughter, Charisma. Barbara Alexander: Barbara is the Center Manager at Blue Water Recovery and Outreach Center. She is a State Certified Peer Recovery Coach through MDHHS, Certified Master Life Coach, Certified Medical Assistant, blessed mother of three, and grateful person in long-term recovery Barbara dedicates her life to helping others like her to find their way out of that dark tunnel and into the love and light that recovery offers. Clarissa Stout: Clarissa is very passionate about holistic and naturopathic medicine. She has been in recovery for two years and is committed to a healthy lifestyle which was a huge part of her recovery. Clarissa changed her lifestyle completely and is healing her body, mind, and spirit. During her journey, she discovered self-healing, self-love, and self-worth. She helps others do the same as a Program Coordinator for Serenity House Communities, an RCO in Flint, Michigan. Stavros Metropoulos: Stavros is a student at Grand Blanc Schools in Michigan. He was 15 years old when this photo was taken. His recovery started at the Odyssey House Adolescent program in Flint, Michigan.

I often find the way I feel about recovery is the way I feel about life, and life is hard. But each day, I awaken to a new day, and a fresh perspective, something I've only experienced with the independence and stability that grow with recovery, and I am grateful I've been given the chance.

Our youngest daughter had been so excited to witness totality during the 2017 eclipse; she was so animated on the phone, urging us not to miss the next one. By the end of 2019, with declining mental health and worsening substance use, she was dead by suicide, at age 26. As a survivor of suicide loss, the complicated grief has been like the Swift River through Coos Canyon: in spring flood violent, confused, turbulent, raging, threatening to drown; in summer, transformed into a popular swimming hole with calm pools and gentle cascades. We experienced the 2024 eclipse with clear skies in Richford, Vermont, in the center of the path of totality. Just as our daughter had wanted us to.

Four months into rehab I’ve found myself within new sober spaces. I see no boundaries to growth.

Addiction is a battle I have won thru recovery.

Nutritious selections are essential in recovery!

The path can't be reduced to our expectations We'd rather prove we were present than be present It's not a person in the ocean but an ocean with a person in it.

The changes of a new life, from an addiction of the pass. The loving of our stories enriches of future with new knowledge of a better future. We are just listening to each other stories.

As a Family Caregiver, I have always been very aware that one day there would be an end date to my giving of care to my Loved One. Caregiving for a Loved One is one of the most difficult and under-valued responsibilities in our society. The COVID Pandemic magnified the already-high levels of loneliness and isolation. In the spring of 2023, I went out in my neighborhood before my Loved One would awake in the morning to look at the cherry blossoms that always bloom in one section of our housing development. Nature provides solace we navigate one of life's toughest mental-health challenges: family caregiving.

Hope is the power to believe that anything is possible. A fresh start, a second chance, or to wish upon a miracle. With op there is that window of opportunity or new light for reassurance; that the possibilities are endless and as long as you believe, anything can happen.

Recovery begins when the student is ready. It starts with surrendering to a power greater than oneself and grows to maturity as it's nurtured. This journey of recovery is quite foreign to one's own imagination but if you're fortunate enough to believe, it is possible. It appears different in each person's life. How you interpret it depends on what you see. What looks like chaos to you may be peaceful to me.

This is one of the photos I took in a series of the gradual visual changes in the flowers progressive bloom. The bloom had dried up yet beauty still existed. Using filters, I found in this photo the truth about mental illness and addiction. How we feel so much darkness and isolation while we're in the midst of it. Yet, hope remains. Hope burns inside of us as we find our way out.

A seed is hope for new life, as people we can also be seeds for others.

For me, the beach symbolizes peace and quiet. My photo symbolizes recovering and healing, the bandages are finally coming off, I'm healing, and I'm at peace.

My photography is a variation of murals from Mexico, Portland, Seattle, New York, that has help me heal after a traumatic loss of my husband due to suicide of September 1st, 2013. As a survivor of suicide, I discovered healing by getting out in the community and using my artistic skills to heal through photography.,

This represents how I rose from to light, like the sun

It doesn't matter what your struggle is... I think we can all agree that through recovery we are reaching to achieve a new kind of freedom. (Picture taken under overpass by the Canal Walk and Shockoe Slip in Richmond, VA)

This image of a Wild Duck in flight signifies the natural life that is restored when addiction falls away. The cleansing water and the clear light of day reveal wonders that are profound yet knowable. This image represents leaving behind the past and rising to the future and new open world ahead.

if we want to perpetuate something, we should join it to new growth to compound our progress

My faith will stand throughout all of my trials because I have Jesus.

"By facing the storms in life without protection we become resilient. Resiliency grows when we become vulnerable to the storms which makes us who we are today, humble and true to ourselves." Self portrait

Sunrises have always been calming and create happiness for me. They also give me hope in the future and strengthen my faith in a higher being. A beautiful sunrise is an incredible and positive beginning to my day.

This picture reflects on the arduous path many faces in overcoming addiction. As a provider, I am often left pondering the resilience of my patients long after they have left my office. Each visit, they arrive laden with the heavy baggage of emotional turmoil, strained relationships, and haunting past traumas, yet they continue to persevere through their journey toward sobriety. This image captures a moment of silent introspection symbolizing their vulnerabilities. Scattered around the suitcases are empty bottles, discarded shoes, and medication, each item telling a part of the story of addiction's chaos and the clutter it brings to lives.

This photograph encapsulates a moment I encountered during a community event celebrating recovery from substance use disorder. The image is a kaleidoscope of emotions and experiences – colorful, messy, and scattered a mirroring the spectrum of lives touched by addiction. The chalk, initially a tool for innocent creativity, takes on a deeper significance. Its smudged, ruined state becomes a metaphor for the unseen traumas endured by the children in attendance – those born into the shadows of addiction, incarceration, and homelessness. The children’s laughter, seemingly carefree as they created their pavement masterpieces, couldn't conceal the mandatory resilience etched into their beings.

A photograph of my favorite place to walk on campus. This garden reminds me to go out and get some fresh air instead of letting my anxiety take over me while I'm in my office. I enjoy being mindful and taking photos of the flowers and nature as I embark on my walk.

Every shift I work as a Peer Recovery Specialist and mediaographer, takes me through a memorial garden filled with names and mementos, totems, symbols, and the personal effects of lives lost to substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health crises. Some days it is the names engraved in the bricks, some days it is the light through leaves and a shadow shifting on shoes once worn that reminds me of my personal struggles and those of humans I will never meet. Some days I see a family member or friend of someone remembered standing silently. This passing through, these whispers in the trees keep my spirit raw and ready to assist and be assisted by the unique and forever spirit of those I serve.

This early morning picture of a risen sun in a pure blue sky full of beautiful clouds symbolizes, to me, the freshness and joy of recovery. Every day is a new day and I greet each day with hope.

In the heart of a serene forest, beneath the towering cedar trees, the Pomo Natives gather in a sacred arbor, their presence a testament to an enduring heritage. The rhythmic beat of drums reverberates through the air, blending with the rustle of leaves and the crackling of the sacred fire that burns steadily beside them. Dressed in vibrant regalia adorned with feathers, beads, and intricate patterns, the Pomo dancers move with grace and reverence. Their steps, both deliberate and fluid, tell stories of their ancestors, of the land, and of the spirits that guide them. Each movement is a prayer, a connection to the past and a bridge to the future, passed down through generations with unwavering dedication.