Flourishing in a Time of Isolation
Losing Face. April 2020. All images/Julia Grey.
By Julia Grey
I love writing, so when asked to pen this piece I became excited and started right away. I expected to write about the deaths and suffering caused by coronavirus. I expected to write about the isolation and fear. I thought that maybe because I'm older and have experience with such things, I could offer hope and advice on how we as a species can move forward in the face of this pandemic. What I found surprised me.
I was angry.
Yes, angry about the loss of life, pain, and misery, but there was something else. It’s natural and good to feel empathy for someone when they hurt, but seeing people receive positive attention and help for their isolation woes held an especially ironic twist for me. Isolation is one of the major side effects of mental illness, yet those diagnosed with a psychological disorder and who have the same feelings are often told “It's all in your head” or to “Suck it up” and try harder; or worse. And for the very same symptoms, they are discriminated against and stigmatized.
The Child Within. May 2020.
Here's the truth.
When the virus reached the US and I heard concerns arise about isolation and its negative effects, I empathized. I also had to shake my head. I’m keenly aware that people with disabilities, the elderly, and many LGBT folk (among others) are forced into years-long stretches of isolation, yet little attention is paid. As the world now knows, the effects are real. Likewise, the effects of mental illness are real.
I have PTSD.
In practical terms this means I deal with the emotional fallout of tragedy nearly every moment of every day. Many of the visions that pass through my mind are not fit for discussion outside of a Veteran’s Administration therapist's office. I live alone out of necessity, and this has left me isolated for the majority of my 37 adult years. Such is the nature of PTSD. So when the coronavirus pandemic hit home, it became just another fright in a long list of horrors. It is an awkward truth that when tragedy strikes, my surroundings make the most sense to me. Considering quarantine and adversity are my “normal,” it’s no surprise that I have flourished during the pandemic.
We bring gifts.
Those who have learned to live with mental illness are often endowed with certain gifts, like perspective. In the face of this pandemic, perspective is the knowledge that, for those who make it through intact, life will go on; as it must. We also learn to process damage and sadness on our feet, lest we become mired in the quicksand of grief. And we are courageous; something the world needs right now.
We are all gifted.
Portrait photography has taught me that every single human being possesses their own form of beauty and intelligence. There are no throwaway people. And as we navigate through this extreme world of coronavirus and who-knows-what-else, there’s no telling whose talents we'll need to call upon to save the day. We may need yours.
Scream. July 2020.
We are a tragic species.
We are the authors of selfishness, prejudice, bigotry, violence, murder, war, genocide, and the middle finger. The death toll from coronavirus is nearing 1 million, but we killed 70 million of our own in World War II alone. We are our own worst enemy, yet we continually struggle to rise above ourselves and our circumstances.
Therein lies our beauty.
That we ceaselessly rail against the ramparts of our self-imposed prisons, that we never stop trying to correct the course of our tragic human condition, that we can and have risen above selfishness, prejudice, bigotry, violence, murder, war, and genocide gives me hope.
We will survive coronavirus.
But, will we survive ourselves? In the end, if we are to move forward as a species, we will need love, altruism, tolerance, acceptance, kindness, empathy, courage, perspective, skill, intelligence, talent, agility, and so much more. No single person possesses all of these traits and that is why we’re all so important.
She Brings the Light. August 2020.
Photo/Julia Grey.
Artist, advocate, veteran, and survivor, Julia Grey has built a meaningful life from the ashes of tragedy. Her focus as a photographer and author is advocacy. To date, Grey has taken on: PTSD, childhood sexual abuse, mental illness, homelessness, and life as a transgender woman. Simultaneously, her pioneering work with open shutter photography is changing the way photos are made. Ms Grey may be found in her metro Las Vegas apartment where she lives and works in isolation. Her work can be found in private and public collections in the United States and United Kingdom.
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