I believe in soothing and calming aspects of photography. Photography has been helping me constantly and continuously. It is my therapeutic tool – the light relief. When I was suffering from depression and PTSD symptoms, photography helped me to soothe my nerves, to close difficult experiences in a frame and to reconnect with people. The camera allows me to re-bond with the world and to engage with it while the light just gently strokes my shoulders… My photographic work has been featured on the Mind website, exhibited locally in Derby at the Derby Train Station and I was delighted to perform poetry for wellbeing and mental health at BBC Radio Derby as well as at Derby Art Core and DEDA.
I am currently working with Together In The UK to promote photography for wellbeing by encouraging amateur photographers as well as general public to participate in our Soothing Photography Competition. I have also recently started a series of online chats with a distinguished photographer and a mental health awareness advocate, Alex Benyon.
Alicja Pyszka-Franceschini 