ART against DEPRESSION

or as friends – art and depression

Art is a grear gift against depression. Artwork can be depressive. Often it is, when displaying the dark and unwanted sides of our inner experiences. Expressing and creating art can support the handling and the walking with depression. Instead of yelling or hurting yourself or other people you are able to put the pain on canvass, may it transforms, may it increases, may it is ugly, may it is just as it is. But as you move on in creating your emotions move on. Your inner room can widen or you can express this inner prison. Some call it a inner fight. Here are some personal experiences, text and words I made with a strong and grey melancholic and depressive mood. May it inspires you or may you loose some fear, expressing your inner pictures or thoughts.

There are some simple ways and things which get you more depressive

sleeping, thinking about same things, talking too much without acting, staying inside, loneliness, tiredness, thoughts which put you down and do not acknowledge the inner potential, hopelessness, helplessness, anger, reoccurring bad moods and so on. When the fear comes that it never will change this increases in a invicious cycle.

Ther are some other ways and actions as habits which get you less depressive
sports, movement, swimming, walking, doing creative stuff, dancing to music, touch, laughter

creation is a deep way to express all kind of feelings and put them visible to you and an external world

instead of being aggressive against something – put the emotions on paper, on canvass
show it, share it, talk about it, feel what the picture needs, ask it where it want to be

You are lost
you tried
and it doesn’t work
no
move with joy

no
sleep
no
conquer doubt

hard to
continue
step by step

in the past
sometimes grateful
now
grey

to manage the grey monster
get a friend with it
walk with it
see how you feed it
talk with it
be with it
hide and secure it
save it
dance
sleep
spit it out
give it colours, love, touch, attention and throw sticks it has to get

knowing that there are days

nothing will reach you

nothing is there to do

nothing is filled with joy

impermanence

patience

A R T & D E P R E S S I O N

a good friend told me – you know what depression is?
It is aggression against oneself.
By the time you just forget or could not act out the anger and it turned
against yourself.

this process sometimes needs courage
this process sometimes needs power
this process sometimes doesn’t flow
this process sometimes is the source

may you win
may you loose
I don’t now

My personal story of melancholy and sadness is covered here
and it started before my daughter died
but after that
all changed
and slowly
I died with her
alive in sadness

– http://healingstorytelling.net/?page_id=481

at the beginning

Most works was done in a show off phase
where I try to hide my emotions
and try to put something nice on paper
still beneath you recognize
my needyness
so much
so much
so much

needed time
needed trust
needed energy
needed rituals
needed friends
needed to recover from failure
and had somehow the patience
to continue

some friends helped me
some left me behind
some just get lost
in their own
fight.

there is nothing to hide
there is no structure
there are no borders

so play around

hide it, structure it, border it

there is a beauty
and there is ugliness
there is a dance between both
or a distance which can not be closed

what is inside of you
any resonance
will get in contact
lost

never found
just lost

with which part
what is the distance
where is the silence

when do you come back

or just

recognize

With or Without Prayers

with or without
cause and effect
with or without
anger
with or without
sadness

as something is lost
when anger rises
something hides
when unpleasant is there

with or without
deep loving parts,
with or without
trying to escape

nothing to improve
with or without
meaning
everything changes
not only when it is expected
to do so

and when it changes
you are not sure
to recognize

new
old
returning cycles
of suffering

with or without
shouting
I am still there
with or without
Breathing
slowly awakening

with or without
my hearbeat
I stop beating myself
and soften up my
courage to fell
whatever is

poetry by björn nonhoff, without prayers

forget

let loose

hold tight

and love

whatever is

or hate

whatever is

you are the difference

now

fake it easy

fake easy

fake joy

fake life

fake love

fake fuck

fake is real

real is fake

fake off

fake on

fake off

fake on

cause if you fake it here

you can fake it everywhere

“be the answer to your questions.

Be the laughter between your ears”

b.nonhoff, fake it here

cloud prayer
.

cloudy depressive fog
cool grey will touch my dry eyes,

mind, heart
forgotten
fading colour
will get

you

so lets sleep
wait
doubt
and fall

will
come

all the darkness
here and there
exactly now
hopeless

just accept
the inability to accept

no start
no choice
no time

make a wish
a tiny small wish

whisper it to the grey fish
and do not search for the ears of understanding
don’t wait for the pencil to smile
you forget your pin
to the laughing youth of beeing without fear and anger

your joy account is lost
be the pin
and pin it

between your lips
for 1 minute

but
do
not
sm i l e

please
do
not
sm i l e

be
the answer
on unasked questions.

Be
the laughter
between other people ear

b.nonhoff, prayer for a depressive cloud which died yesterday

smiling hurts

may you smile more often

not only keep your pen in the air

I wonder if you have asked that question

or that is an answer

probably it is just a wonder

and sometimes it is dark

call for help

now

cry

dance

sleep

everything will change

do not force

do not try

do not do

just smile

and take the pain

the smile train

b.nonhoff, countless prayers for countless beings

open heart

if you are inspired

be it

if you are unspired

be it

and if not

be that

b.nonhoff, be

sometimes it is

It was never meant to be

hard, fixed, boring, sad

and sometimes it is

NOT

it was ever meant to be

wide, free, easy, joyful

but sometimes it is

JOY

sometimes I remember my inner melody
sometimes I connect to my wide universe of creativity
sometimes I am in a dark, ugly, never-ending mood
and out of there, I get my source of power
that may is true – but not real
but sometimes it is

my life is dedicated to inspire
to remember me is happening
to make some steps and breaths
towards you
to dance
to inspire
to silence
the need to need
and sometimes it is
silent

it may work for you
as many visitors before
it may give some
warm-hearted feeling
it may awake
the free heart and mind

it may just is as it is
like you are as you are
and sometimes it is
no difference
between all the yous and mess

life is a dance
possi-billing the time of our lives
life is letting
touch your inner wisdom
life is sharing
impress and pull the lights
life is peaceful
life is
for you
life is
for us
life was
before death

Kind hug
wise laughter
and silent smile

b.nonhoff, countless prayers for countless beings

More Information on the Geschichtenerzähler Björn Nonhoff you get on his website www.nonhoff.info

Here is a great “child”- a book read in a video – giving an overview and ideas how to live with depression or people with depression …