dana stirling’s photographs take a look at mental health and childhood
While important conversations about mental health are (thankfully) becoming more common, one aspect that isn’t discussed enough is how the mental-health struggles of a parent can impact a child. Israel-born, New York-based photographer Dana Stirling explores this and more in her ongoing photo series, Why Am I Sad?
The photographs often focus on a lone subject, like a teddy bear, that sits motionless among its surroundings. The touching series reflects Dana’s difficult experience of feeling alone in her childhood bedroom, witnessing her mother’s depression, and turning to her camera as a way of coping with her own mental illness. "Why am I Sad? is my exploration of my personal relationship to photography and the world that I see through my camera’s lens,” Dana says of the project. “It is an open question that I don’t intend to answer, but I hope that I can find comfort in it once more.”
To see more of Dana's beautiful snaps, pop over to her website and Instagram. Dana has also turned the series into a lovely zine, which you can nab here.
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