Messages of Hope

In November 2014, I got the opportunity to attend the Georgia Peer Support Institute (GPSI), where I learned about more mental health recovery and the basis of peer support services.  It was an amazing learning experience and the start of my journey toward becoming a Certified Peer Specialist.

One of the expectations at the completion of the training is to complete a community-based project based on one of the principles learned at GPSI. There were plenty of options to choose from, but I decided to focus on the "Walking Miracle" exercise, where peers learn how to share about the recovery journey.  At training I had the opportunity to share part of my own journey but felt really self-conscious and overwhelmed because at the time speaking to people, even in a one-on-one scenario, was intimidating.  I realized that I couldn’t be the only one who felt that way.  There had to be others who wanted the chance to share their stories but didn’t feel comfortable speaking about it so I decided to create a project that would allow people the opportunity to share their stories through art instead.  I assembled a diverse group of peers and asked them each the same question: “What does recovery mean to you?” Then we organized a photo shoot where they were share their stories while I captured answers with the camera.

Something truly amazing happened as I worked on processing/editing the images from those shoots. As I was reading the responses from my peers, I found that provided me with some much need encouragement and hope when I was dealing with some personal struggles.  The experience helped me realize that photography I could help others tell their stories.  And together we could spread messages of hope, courage and strength to others who were going through similar struggles.  

One day I was fortunate enough to lead “Art Exploration” at the local Peer Center and I took what I learned from the experience to help others create their own messages of hope. 

 For as long as I can remember my mother has shared the "Pass It On" cards sold at Christian bookstores with people.  They are simple cards with some type of image (either a photo or illustration of some type) with an inspirational message, usually associated with a Bible verse. I wanted to create something similar, but different, focusing on mental health recovery and suicide prevention and from there, the “Messages of Hope” project was born.