This contribution to Mandalas for Marinke comes from Jamie who beautifully writes,
“It is always darkest before the dawn.
Do your best to hang on to see it.
I know it’s hard to do, but every dawn that is “seen”
is one more victory over
the darkness known as Depression.”
She shares, “Why I Chose to Contribute to The Project”:
“Because as a person with depression I want to help bring awareness to this deadly problem. In fact, I was having a depressive episode, with suicidal thoughts, the same week that Wink lost her battle to depression. Her death, surprisingly, shocked me enough to want to do something.”
And also shares “Why I Chose This Mandala”
“I chose the spoke mandala (even though I couldn’t do the spokes!) because it looks like a wheel. When I’m in one of my depressive periods, I feel like I’m stuck in the mud. A wheel can get you from Point A to Point B. But when it is stuck in the mud, you’re not going anywhere. So this mandala represents both – going forward and being stuck.”
And in particular, “Why I Chose These Colors”:
“I chose the colors from Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Spinner” as well as a nod to Wink’s colors chosen for her Spoke mandala. When trying to figure out what colors I wanted to use, I knew I wanted to use one of Van Gogh’s paintings as the inspiration. Why? Because of the Doctor Who episode “Vincent and the Doctor”. In that episode, the tour guide tells The Doctor why he loves Van Gogh’s paintings so much. He said it was because Van Gogh was able to take something so dark (his depressive periods) and turn it into something so beautiful.
Wink did the same thing. She was able to make beautiful creations, despite the darkness. And just like Van Gogh, she lost her battle to that darkness, but left behind a wonderful treasure for the rest of the world to enjoy.
I chose the painting “The Spinner” because it seemed appropriate. A spinner works with materials that produces yarn. These mandalas use yarn to be created. So it seemed only natural to use this painting as my inspiration for color choices.
So, Wink, Vincent, and all those who suffer from depression … This spoke-less mandala is dedicated to you!”
