Noah Leigh
BA (Hons) Photography
In the final term of my first year of university the Covid-19 pandemic began to affect the world. As the whole world turned to isolation, I watched the mental health of both the mentally ill and the mentally healthy deteriorate. I noticed the conversations in media, suggesting that the isolation of the pandemic caused a decline in mental health, and I noticed the improvement the lifting of this isolation caused the majority of society. I also noticed those who didn't improve. I was one of those people. When lockdown restictions were lifted, my mental health had already deteriorated to a point where I pushed myself into more dangerous situations, regressing on any improvement to my mental health that I had made throughout my lifetime. I was a danger to myself. I developed substance abuse problems to cope with the lockdowns and when they were lifted, I developed addictions to cope with new traumas. Eventually, I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and began to navigate life with this disorder. Through seeking treatments, I found stigma and judgement. Through research I found generalisations and misinformation. This personal journey influenced the way I viewed the work I created. I wanted to do better, provide an alternate narrative to mental illness and display it through art and photography for society to see. I began my journey into photographing mental illness, with the intent, that someday, this negative narrative will be challenged. That those who fall victim to mental illness will be given a voice, allowed treatment without judgement and feel accepted by a society that has long outcast them. So in the future, when someone researches their diagnosis, they are not met with judgements and horror stories, but hope. This is the intent of my work and my ongoing series 'Borderline'.
