Surreal art depicting a bathroom with animated elements. It features an open toilet, colorful bottles, a large plant, and three characters in a bathtub. Words like 'fear' and 'trauma' are on the wall. A sad figure sits on a mat near a laptop. The scene is filled with vibrant colors and abstract patterns.

ADHD
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Carrie Ravenscroft

Abstract artwork depicting a room with a couch, colorful hexagons, and words like "anxiety," "PTSD," "trauma," and "grief." A figure sits on the floor near a spilled wine glass. There are symbols of medicine, a hanging lamp, an umbrella with rain, and an "EXIT" sign. A bookshelf with books and a lamp is present, with a door leading to an alien-like figure with rainbow hues. The flooring appears patterned and colorful.

What I have put on paper is a direct expression of what is going on inside my head and the truth is that I don’t know which thing is relevant. It’s a misconception that people with ADHD simply lack attention span, when the reality is closer to lacking attention span to the "correct" things, within the "correct" context – the inability to correctly filter out the world. I have so much going on inside my head that I can rarely prioritise what needs to be focused on, which feels chaotic. Often this leads to overwhelm and shutting down entirely.

This series called is 'ADHD', which involved me pouring out of my mind as much as I could! After 33 years of dealing with mental health struggles and not knowing how to appropriately handle my thoughts, feelings and sensitivities, my body was hurting. I was tired, aching, my skin burning, my brain buzzing in all the wrong ways. All that trauma and the concerns I had for the world needed exporting into imagery, and this was the result.

carrieraven.com/pandemic

Surreal artwork depicting an indoor scene with a blend of whimsical and abstract elements, including anthropomorphic fish characters, colorful wall art, mushrooms, and a silhouette figure. The scene includes plants, shelving, and scattered text featuring words like 'Covid.'
Surreal art depicting a room with colorful, abstract figures and objects. A figure is sitting cross-legged on a bed, surrounded by floating bubbles, with posters reading "NEW variant" and "WEAR a MASK." A piano and whimsical characters are on a dresser, with a colorful stream labeled "ANGER" flowing below. Other words, like "Anxiety" and "Fatigue," are scattered in the scene, adding to the chaotic and dreamlike atmosphere.