Artists online
Through a series of self portraits, Gold Coast journalism student Meaghan Smith, pictured, captured her feelings of frustration and won the 2008 Youth Week online art competition.
The Make a Move online competition is on again this year. Young people aged 12 to 25 are encouraged to create an entry that explores the things that affect young Queenslanders, as Meaghan did. Meaghan chose photography to create her winning entry but the choice of medium is up to you — animation, film, writings, visual art or interactive media.
Using do-it-yourself spotlights and a tripod, Meaghan photographed herself to share her experience of mania. "Manic people, especially young people, need to know that what they're feeling has been felt by others, because mania is by its nature a state of incredible isolation," Meaghan says. "When I was learning about my diagnosis I was struck by how faceless mania was, and ever since I've wanted to help flesh out its features."
"Mania is all about frustration. You are locked in a state of hyper-awareness, hyper-thought and hyper-time, and everything around you — all the people and tasks you are forced by gravity to engage with — are moving at half-speed. When I am manic I have no social compass, no sense of the appropriate. My pupils dilate, I don't sleep for days. All of those are symptoms of mania."
Entries to the 2009 online competition close on 1 May.