Photographer Documents Husband’s Depression In Intimate Photo Series
‘The Sea That Surrounds Us’ is a photo series by professional photographer Maureen Drennan that documents her husband’s battle with depression and her own battle to understand his mental problems.
The name of the art project is taken from a line from a love poem by Pablo Neruda called Night on the Island, a title that reflects the photographer’s decision to intersperse pictures of her husband Paul with pictures from Block Island, Rhode Island, which is where she spent time as a child. The barrenness and isolation of the island work as both a physical embodiment of the distance she felt from her husband who has been living with depression as well as a tangible manifestation of her husband’s own interior state during his mental health deterioration. They’ve since put those difficult times of fighting depression time behind them, but her beautiful photo series serves as a reminder of how fragile we are as humans, and how difficult it is to truly understand the experiences of another person, no matter how close they may seem to us.
More info: Maureen Drennan (h/t)
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Share on FacebookOh dear husband...you don't feel well? Let me take picture of you (by the way, half have nothing to do with him) and make it an "art" project...
Imagine this: Youre healthy, got a job, wife. Everything looks normal and perfect. But inside youre broken, you can't feel anything, you feel like there is something wrong with you but can't find out what. People start judging you that youre lazy, sad, selfish. Depression is a disease. Don't judge people by their illnes. His wife is photographer. So she used her best tools to deal with her reality. Probably she needed to do this more than he. You might like it or not but don't judge.
Load More Replies...Not all depressed people look the same way. There is such a thing as smiling depression or putting a brave face on it. And somebody with facial expressions like in those photos might not be depressed but just having a bad day or concealing anger.
Load More Replies...Don't give the wife such a hard time! She has everyone here discussing this illness. I'm sure hubby is on board. Sometimes all you can do is watch someone spiral.
Not when she takes a selfie of herself topless though in the first photo.
Load More Replies...I suffer from Depression. I can understand why she shared her photos. And if she reached out and helped even just one person, then at least she has done something good. Why are so many people so....critical? Do you need a hug? Seriously.
People who make fun of thse pics dont understand depression. It is something I would not wish on anyone. it is like living a life that seems somehow separate from oneself, an entity that one has no control over.. that hurts constantly and you always feel so hurt and body aches with pain and sorrow constantly. And sometimes, you have no idea why you are feeling so down.
When you're depressed one of the hardest things is that you know your illness hurts people closest to you. Nobody at first know what's going on and how to deal with it. The depressed feels guilty for making family suffer in any shape or form and at worst case scenario him letting her publish this made him happy because it made her maybe a little bit happy (or very happy, we'll never know). Maybe he is the one who wanted them published to show others that they're not alone in this kind of mess. Doesn't matter if you've been depressed, seen someone close battling it or didn't have it in your life, it's none of our business how they deal with it. Maybe going public is just a coping mechanism. TL;DR: Leave them be. They've been through enough without your b******t.
I don't mind her sharing the photos or making a project about depression because this can be cathartic. But these photos are not a series, I don't see depression anywhere, I just see a bunch of unrelated pictures: a couple on the bathroom, he doesn't loom depressed, just really clean because he's brushing his teeth, and it looks like an intimate moment given the lack of clothes. The rest are just portraits of a person, could be depressed or just sad or tired. And the other photos of landscapes or buildings are just so disconnected. So... nice photos, nothing major, but if the title doesn't mentioned depression I wouldn't have guessed the concept.
I would of hated someone photographing me when I went on disability for depression. But, maybe it works for them.
When have we as humans become so cruel to others? A little compassion, understanding and support goes much further than a jab with the tongue. Isn't that what we all want sometimes?
This is an honest, raw look inside the devastating toll of mental illness. If you don't like her way of dealing with the impact this is having on their lives or you don't have to look.
It is pictures of a guy in every day like photos. I don't see this as raw at all. Nothing shocking here
Load More Replies...I really appreciate the effort, but these don't capture depression to me as I know it. Good photography but I don't feel the emotion behind the photos.
If that's all you can focus on then you're the one with the issues.
Load More Replies...I think anything that can be done to put mental illness in the spotlight is helpful & enlightening to those who think it is attention seeking or laziness or that ppl should just 'pull up their socks', 'Buck up' and so on. If it were only that simple or obvious. I say; destigmatize mental illness by talking about it with no repercussions.
Quickly scrolling down on Bored Panda is maybe not the best way to see this series. I'm a bit irritated by the almost naked photogrpaher in one pic but I like the rest.
You who have never had depression, anxioty etc.FREE HUGS FROM FINLAND!,land where u can see sun shining 30 days per year.
Or the UK where you see the sun less and less now even though it's been warm and humid all summer. It feels like there is a lot of chem smog about but higher up in the sky than the old pea soupers in the 50's.
Load More Replies...Thank you Maureen and Paul for sharing this.I found it beautiful and so comforting to me as my husband and I have experienced these feelings
Oh husband... Let me take pics of you and turn you into a boring click bait art project please and thank you. Oh and here's a shot of me half nude to really get the Internet's clicking going... You know... To bring the focus on you, dear. This was dumb and exploitative for the sake of her ego.
Well said. Though I am concerned about large mental health charities using models or staff members when they are slightly depressed to depict depression. Or a girl looking wistful into the distance.
Load More Replies...If the person with depression is on a relationship, their partner is also fighting their own battle, my husband was amazing while supporting me, but I could see him hurting too. I think the photographer is just trying to get that across, and in my opinion she has done it beautifully 💕
To those of you commenting "Why is she naked?"... I see that photo as the ability depression has to completely rid you of your sexual desire. Here's a beautiful, naked woman standing in the same room and you don't see her. Depression robs you of everything.
Photographers often use their art to understand the world around them and I, as a person who has experienced crippling bouts of depression, see the expressions of her husband as being very connected and well represented by the shots of the barren island. Art is not understood by everyone since it's not just about what is seen but also what is experienced. I understand that some may experience this in a negative light but that does not deter from its value to others. Take it easy and assume nothing
lol...pained, pained vanity....what will he do? I recommend instead taking pictures of those tits.
I know how this guy feels. I have a wife, kids, success but when the cloud of depression comes i go into autopiolot mode. Just so they dont have to suffer with me. It really sucks.
Depression is very real, lonely, sad. It's hard for others to understand
I love your photos, I dont know why your husband is depressed and Im sorry about it, but your photos also express that feel, well atleast I feel in that way when Im watching it, and if I feel bad when a sees this I wont to know how your husband feels, just tell him I send him a hug from Mexico and whenever you're free to visit us and have a great time. Im willing to help.
art doesn't wear an outfit, doesn't follow orders. don't question it. read it with a neutral, clean gaze, please. you'll feel more relaxed too. these pictures aren't supposed to make sense, but simply to capture a feeling I think. it's simple poetry.
Your neurological disorder is physical and, can be fixed. If it is just your imagination or someone else's fault, you can get rid of them. I would imagine them away. I repeat, the problem is physical and, this means, it can be fixed.
I welled up at the picture where he has red eyes, I've never rescued to art so powerfully before
She's no photographer. She's just got hold of a fancy camera and takes snaps with it. It's automatic so now fiddling with settings needed as with the old film 35mm cameras.
She takes photos, so she is by definition a photographer.
Load More Replies...Depression is a terrible illness, as someone who has suffered with and continues to, I can honestly say that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Feel sooo sorry for this man. It is hell being in such a dark hole. Just hope he gets treatment soon and that it works for him. It may sound really silly but rescuing a dog can help. Very often the connection between the 2 can be soo strong and it changes the persons life around.
Maybe leaving her or kicking her out might help.
Load More Replies...Depressed people like that don't give their true consent. They are either too amenable and then regret what they allowed or they don't want to do anything. They are too vulnerable.
Load More Replies...It is sad because the majority of people who we refer to are very very bright.
The impetus is creative but the images are not very good choices, the photography is less than gifted, and the work it itself fails (miserably ) to accomplish its mission.
I think it's beautiful, a wife using her talents to represent her husband's depressed inner world. It is her showing her understanding of it, and giving the horrible disease a tunnel to the world for their understanding too. If I were the husband I would see her making beauty out of pain, and ultimately giving my sadness a voice and being loving and supportive.
Well, at least BoredPanda got something out of it, and that's all that matters.
Paul, you make The World prettier cuz you are IN IT!!!!....Please, do not step out cuz we all would miss a precious piece of our beautiful puzzle without you!!!!... Maureen, thank you for reminding Paul how precious he is!!!! XXX
It's funny,how people who work 16 hours a day for survive , never have a depression
How do you know he doesn't have a job or studies full time?
Load More Replies...depression is a real disease that kills real people. It is more deadly than cancer if left untreated. You don't tell someone with cancer to just get better. You don't tell people with depression to just get better. People don't kill themselves because somebody hurt their feelings. They kill themselves because they cannot bear to be alive in a world their brain says does not want them. So leave the "real meaning of depression" to the doctors who diagnose and treat it and the people and their loved ones who deal with it. In other words, f**k you.
Load More Replies...Oh dear husband...you don't feel well? Let me take picture of you (by the way, half have nothing to do with him) and make it an "art" project...
Imagine this: Youre healthy, got a job, wife. Everything looks normal and perfect. But inside youre broken, you can't feel anything, you feel like there is something wrong with you but can't find out what. People start judging you that youre lazy, sad, selfish. Depression is a disease. Don't judge people by their illnes. His wife is photographer. So she used her best tools to deal with her reality. Probably she needed to do this more than he. You might like it or not but don't judge.
Load More Replies...Not all depressed people look the same way. There is such a thing as smiling depression or putting a brave face on it. And somebody with facial expressions like in those photos might not be depressed but just having a bad day or concealing anger.
Load More Replies...Don't give the wife such a hard time! She has everyone here discussing this illness. I'm sure hubby is on board. Sometimes all you can do is watch someone spiral.
Not when she takes a selfie of herself topless though in the first photo.
Load More Replies...I suffer from Depression. I can understand why she shared her photos. And if she reached out and helped even just one person, then at least she has done something good. Why are so many people so....critical? Do you need a hug? Seriously.
People who make fun of thse pics dont understand depression. It is something I would not wish on anyone. it is like living a life that seems somehow separate from oneself, an entity that one has no control over.. that hurts constantly and you always feel so hurt and body aches with pain and sorrow constantly. And sometimes, you have no idea why you are feeling so down.
When you're depressed one of the hardest things is that you know your illness hurts people closest to you. Nobody at first know what's going on and how to deal with it. The depressed feels guilty for making family suffer in any shape or form and at worst case scenario him letting her publish this made him happy because it made her maybe a little bit happy (or very happy, we'll never know). Maybe he is the one who wanted them published to show others that they're not alone in this kind of mess. Doesn't matter if you've been depressed, seen someone close battling it or didn't have it in your life, it's none of our business how they deal with it. Maybe going public is just a coping mechanism. TL;DR: Leave them be. They've been through enough without your b******t.
I don't mind her sharing the photos or making a project about depression because this can be cathartic. But these photos are not a series, I don't see depression anywhere, I just see a bunch of unrelated pictures: a couple on the bathroom, he doesn't loom depressed, just really clean because he's brushing his teeth, and it looks like an intimate moment given the lack of clothes. The rest are just portraits of a person, could be depressed or just sad or tired. And the other photos of landscapes or buildings are just so disconnected. So... nice photos, nothing major, but if the title doesn't mentioned depression I wouldn't have guessed the concept.
I would of hated someone photographing me when I went on disability for depression. But, maybe it works for them.
When have we as humans become so cruel to others? A little compassion, understanding and support goes much further than a jab with the tongue. Isn't that what we all want sometimes?
This is an honest, raw look inside the devastating toll of mental illness. If you don't like her way of dealing with the impact this is having on their lives or you don't have to look.
It is pictures of a guy in every day like photos. I don't see this as raw at all. Nothing shocking here
Load More Replies...I really appreciate the effort, but these don't capture depression to me as I know it. Good photography but I don't feel the emotion behind the photos.
If that's all you can focus on then you're the one with the issues.
Load More Replies...I think anything that can be done to put mental illness in the spotlight is helpful & enlightening to those who think it is attention seeking or laziness or that ppl should just 'pull up their socks', 'Buck up' and so on. If it were only that simple or obvious. I say; destigmatize mental illness by talking about it with no repercussions.
Quickly scrolling down on Bored Panda is maybe not the best way to see this series. I'm a bit irritated by the almost naked photogrpaher in one pic but I like the rest.
You who have never had depression, anxioty etc.FREE HUGS FROM FINLAND!,land where u can see sun shining 30 days per year.
Or the UK where you see the sun less and less now even though it's been warm and humid all summer. It feels like there is a lot of chem smog about but higher up in the sky than the old pea soupers in the 50's.
Load More Replies...Thank you Maureen and Paul for sharing this.I found it beautiful and so comforting to me as my husband and I have experienced these feelings
Oh husband... Let me take pics of you and turn you into a boring click bait art project please and thank you. Oh and here's a shot of me half nude to really get the Internet's clicking going... You know... To bring the focus on you, dear. This was dumb and exploitative for the sake of her ego.
Well said. Though I am concerned about large mental health charities using models or staff members when they are slightly depressed to depict depression. Or a girl looking wistful into the distance.
Load More Replies...If the person with depression is on a relationship, their partner is also fighting their own battle, my husband was amazing while supporting me, but I could see him hurting too. I think the photographer is just trying to get that across, and in my opinion she has done it beautifully 💕
To those of you commenting "Why is she naked?"... I see that photo as the ability depression has to completely rid you of your sexual desire. Here's a beautiful, naked woman standing in the same room and you don't see her. Depression robs you of everything.
Photographers often use their art to understand the world around them and I, as a person who has experienced crippling bouts of depression, see the expressions of her husband as being very connected and well represented by the shots of the barren island. Art is not understood by everyone since it's not just about what is seen but also what is experienced. I understand that some may experience this in a negative light but that does not deter from its value to others. Take it easy and assume nothing
lol...pained, pained vanity....what will he do? I recommend instead taking pictures of those tits.
I know how this guy feels. I have a wife, kids, success but when the cloud of depression comes i go into autopiolot mode. Just so they dont have to suffer with me. It really sucks.
Depression is very real, lonely, sad. It's hard for others to understand
I love your photos, I dont know why your husband is depressed and Im sorry about it, but your photos also express that feel, well atleast I feel in that way when Im watching it, and if I feel bad when a sees this I wont to know how your husband feels, just tell him I send him a hug from Mexico and whenever you're free to visit us and have a great time. Im willing to help.
art doesn't wear an outfit, doesn't follow orders. don't question it. read it with a neutral, clean gaze, please. you'll feel more relaxed too. these pictures aren't supposed to make sense, but simply to capture a feeling I think. it's simple poetry.
Your neurological disorder is physical and, can be fixed. If it is just your imagination or someone else's fault, you can get rid of them. I would imagine them away. I repeat, the problem is physical and, this means, it can be fixed.
I welled up at the picture where he has red eyes, I've never rescued to art so powerfully before
She's no photographer. She's just got hold of a fancy camera and takes snaps with it. It's automatic so now fiddling with settings needed as with the old film 35mm cameras.
She takes photos, so she is by definition a photographer.
Load More Replies...Depression is a terrible illness, as someone who has suffered with and continues to, I can honestly say that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Feel sooo sorry for this man. It is hell being in such a dark hole. Just hope he gets treatment soon and that it works for him. It may sound really silly but rescuing a dog can help. Very often the connection between the 2 can be soo strong and it changes the persons life around.
Maybe leaving her or kicking her out might help.
Load More Replies...Depressed people like that don't give their true consent. They are either too amenable and then regret what they allowed or they don't want to do anything. They are too vulnerable.
Load More Replies...It is sad because the majority of people who we refer to are very very bright.
The impetus is creative but the images are not very good choices, the photography is less than gifted, and the work it itself fails (miserably ) to accomplish its mission.
I think it's beautiful, a wife using her talents to represent her husband's depressed inner world. It is her showing her understanding of it, and giving the horrible disease a tunnel to the world for their understanding too. If I were the husband I would see her making beauty out of pain, and ultimately giving my sadness a voice and being loving and supportive.
Well, at least BoredPanda got something out of it, and that's all that matters.
Paul, you make The World prettier cuz you are IN IT!!!!....Please, do not step out cuz we all would miss a precious piece of our beautiful puzzle without you!!!!... Maureen, thank you for reminding Paul how precious he is!!!! XXX
It's funny,how people who work 16 hours a day for survive , never have a depression
How do you know he doesn't have a job or studies full time?
Load More Replies...depression is a real disease that kills real people. It is more deadly than cancer if left untreated. You don't tell someone with cancer to just get better. You don't tell people with depression to just get better. People don't kill themselves because somebody hurt their feelings. They kill themselves because they cannot bear to be alive in a world their brain says does not want them. So leave the "real meaning of depression" to the doctors who diagnose and treat it and the people and their loved ones who deal with it. In other words, f**k you.
Load More Replies...
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