MY BIPOLAR JOURNEY
After my ill health early retirement in 2004 I had too much time on my hands & was not capable of any sort of work . I needed to fill the void & photography gave me a purpose and a reason to get out of my house. I would choose a different place to go, take pictures and then turn them into photo mac projects such as slideshows to share with my lovely mum, dvds for Brackenwood Golf Club and photo gifts & cards for family & friends.
In 2014 my knee anterior cruciate ligament problem led to me being housebound for a while. I was unable to drive or walk far and had to commit to x 6 months of physiotherapy & rehab.
I was struggling to find something meaningful that I could do & discussed with my psychiatrist about whether I was mentally strong enough to begin the epic task of starting to organise & gain control of 3,000 & x10 years of laptop photographs!
I wanted to do something more tangible than a slideshow that I could share with family, friends & professionals so I started researching & taught myself how to do apple mac photobooks & calendars .
Mac book : Wonderful Wirral 2015
Front flap text : My Bipolar Journey
10 years of walking, talking & exploring our beautiful & unique peninsula. Sometimes just solo reflection time or perhaps in moody emotional turmoil. Seasonal walks spent with my dog Tess, close friends & my family. Laptop chaos & clutter of 3,000 images became calm control of these 30 perfect & very personal photographs. All were key turning points as I have struggled from total breakdown & major life change towards mental health acceptance, stability & wellbeing. This mac book is for me to share with my special support group to thank them all for keeping me going with their love, patience, encouragement & understanding … for always believing in me.
My best Wirral places include :
- Birkenhead Park
- Brackenwood golf course
- Bromborough golf course
- Eastham woods
- Heswall / Sheldrakes
- Ness Gardens
- New Brighton
- Port Sunlight village
- Red Rocks
- Thornton Hough village
- Thurstaston
- West Kirby
Step by step … moment by moment … photo by photo