First Year, Ellie Williams focuses on the subject of anxiety for the portrait brief.
15th December 2019
My photographs respond to the portrait brief during the Introduction to Editorial and Advertising Photography Module. I decided to tailor my images towards iD magazine, by creating a narrative based around male mental health and how people have hobbies and interests that create an escape for them. I focused on one individual who song writes and creates their own music to push them to be a stronger version of themselves.
‘I suffer with anxiety… I have accepted it since 2018, but deep down I’ve been suffering with it since 2009 and never came to terms with it. I had counselling for a period of 2-4 months, no medication, just talking. And I would say this is the best of form medicine.
My breaking point was when my anxiety prevented me from advancing in life. I quit learning to drive, I quit a radio job and I quit my performing arts course. My biggest fear was getting stuff wrong and this caused my anxiety to go through the roof. My escape? My help? Writing music.
I started writing songs in 2017 when I became interested in rap and urban music. I wrote lyrics that were meaningful to me. And now my breakdown has given me the motivation and confidence to write music and just after I finished counselling in 2019 I released my first song, which was me getting everything of my chest about my anxiety and how it attacked me.
I believe it is difficult for guys my age to talk about mental health, society paints this stigma that men have to be the strong ones but anyone can suffer and as a generation anxiety is prevalent.’