“Was I Happy Then?” is a mixed media project pairing memory and nostalgia with the emotional turbulence of bipolar disorder. Combining digital art, graphite drawings and photography, I created a linear and chronological collection that explores the winding highs and lows of bipolar over a 20 year period. This disorder often makes me question my memories and past actions, leading me to the thought: “was I actually happy then?” Paired with text in the form of journal entries, post cards, messages to friends and more, I hope viewers can also experience the constant contradictions that I feel in my mind and the ache to return to a time that may or may not have been happier than now.

In this collection the picture frames are photographs, the photographs are graphite drawings, and everything else was drawn in Photoshop. I worked to create realistic digital scenes intentionally disrupted by the physical act of layering and the visual impact of graphite. The effect is a feeling of recognition and remembering, while still feeling ever so slightly out of place.