Self Harm - Not About Me Specificaly.

This is something I drew on my arm for the express intention of art. I took a series of photographs, closer and closer to my wrist. The writing scrawled over the "cuts" say 'WHO CARES ANYWAY?'. Dont worry, I drew the cuts with red pen.

The three are edited (in paint) to be one picture. It will either be called Get Closer or Who Cares Anyway? when I can make up my mind.

The purpose of this is to shock you, foremost. Thats why I warned you first...



Now, I'll explain the picture. The first one is far away. The next is closer. The last one is pretty close. Hence Get Closer. I'm sorry if this offends or sickens. It's art. It's for a reason.

The reason is you have to get closer to the person who is self harming to understand. The nearer you get, the more obvious it is what the problem is. You can't help if you dont know why they're doing it.

The writing asks who even cares? I know from experience of self harm and a few friends who self harm, if you know someone cares, you stop. It's all you need, the knowledge that someone loves you and understands, and that they are there for you.

I know I go on a lot about self harm and BID but I know how damaging they are, and I know how to help. Which is something that really does give you that fuzzy feeling inside. I've been a failure for so long, it gives me a sense of worth.

If you know someone who self harms in any way, be kind. Never, never lecture. Being made to feel like a naughty child or a lost cause reinforces that self hate that needs punishment or pain that needs rebalance. Tell them that you are they're friend, that you care, that you'll always be there for them. Find out what the problem is and see if you can't help, even if you can't fix it, you can make them feel less swamped by it.

If you self harm, I promise you it will be okay. The person who knows and has a go is really only trying to help. They care about you and aren't sure the best way to go about helping. The best friends and family who haven't even noticed, only haven't noticed because you're doing so well to hide it. Someone cares, and if they knew, they would drop everything to make you feel better.

And if you don't dare tell them, tell me. I'm always up to listening and helping. That warm fuzzy feeling I get. And if I care, your friends must care too.