Dinner and TV
Inkjet print from the series “Normal”, 2018
Sophie Hammond
The Pembroke Hill School

"In my work I disrupt many of the misconceptions surrounding mental illness, specifically the idea that someone's outer appearance is indicative of whether or not they have a mental illness.  I have struggled with mental illness throughout most of my life, and I use my experiences as inspiration for my art.

I chose to document my life so that I could highlight the ways in which I am just like everyone else.  On the surface, my images just look like I took portraits of a normal, healthy teenage girl going through her daily routine, not someone who experiences chronic depression, anxiety, and ADD.  Although, within the images there are hints at what's going on behind the surface, like the medication on my bedside table.  By showing myself living a seemingly normal life, I am proving that mental illness does not look one specific way.  Not everyone who has depression looks like a stereotypical emo kid, in fact a lot of us look just like everyone else on the outside, and my images are reflective of that." 
........................................... -- Sophie Hammond

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