I Take Photos That Show My Experiences As A Chronically Ill/Disabled Teenager

I'm a 18-year-old conceptual photographer, mainly taking photos of my experiences as a chronically ill/disabled teenager.

I've been ill for a little over seven years. I was 11 years old when my journey began and finally feel I have a medium in which I can comfortably, yet vulnerably, process my pain and share my story. To give a brief understanding, I have ME/CFS and also had CRPS. I deal with chronic nerve pain and debilitating daily seizure and muscle spasms which react to pain, noise and other sensitivities. This is actually just the tip of the iceberg for me and it's only in the past few years I really feel I've found my voice. 

I’ve always been creative (some would call it weird!) but my true joy came when I discovered photography at age 14 and never looked back. It, along with my writing, has given me a gateway back into the world. A way to forge my own path, in my own way. I’ve had incredible mentors in my journey, but still, most of this began and has continued up to this point, as just me, feeling trapped within four walls, longing to make them beautiful again.

I think like many I shy away from what can make those around me uncomfortable. I seek to provide peace and love within everyone, but life and its paths don’t always form that way and sometimes the truth, however painful, must be spoken to evoke change. The rose is beautiful, but it would not survive without the precious guard of the thorn.

I know I wasn’t alone in the beginning, and I’m never alone now. Whether it’s through physical or mental challenges, there are so many lost little souls, just hoping desperately for a spark that will ignite their spirit again. There are many young women that unknowingly carried me through the hardest moments in my journey. But they never knew me. And that is why I continue to share because even if one weird girl reads this, it’s all worth it.

More info: hopecaitlintreasures.com