Welcome everyone to my third blog post!

This week I talked with my mentor about how the various functions connect to the factors leading into self-harm. For example, emotions associated with childhood maltreatment, like pain, confusion, and loneliness can be a lot to handle for an individual. This may lead to the “channeling overwhelming emotions” function of self-harm. However, in others, abuse may block their sense of control over their body. This may lead to self-harm as a way to regain those feelings of control.

I was also able to finish two rough sketches for my painting! My first drawing represents the need to release overwhelming emotions. It is a doll stitched together and bursting at the seams. There will be a mix of colors flowing out of areas where the seams burst, representing the release of suppressed emotions. These colors will be bright and intense, contrasting with the dolls’ muted and pastel color. 

My second drawing depicts the feeling of nothing and the need to feel something, even if it’s pain. It is a shadowy, dark figure floating in a dull, blended, gray background. This represents numbness. There will also be a lightning strike of intense colors with a sharp contrast to the background, showing the regaining of feeling in the body after self-harm. 

I’m glad I made the sketches to prepare for my painting, as I ended up shifting the arms and head position of the shadowy figure more times than I can count. The smudging next to the head is likely from all the erasing.

I’m excited to start transferring these sketches to my canvas. I’m hoping it will be a smooth process because of all the initial adjustments I made in my sketches.

See you next week!