April 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Friend and official LTT videographer Aleksandar Cosic grabbed some candid shots of me working with Krista Andrews back in January. Check ‘em out. You’ll see Krista’s story at some point in the near future.
I first met Devin Jones on a social networking site way back when. These days, we don’t have an entire country between us and hang when we can. Below, he discusses some of the stigma associated with depression.
I saw some picture online, actually, and it was a really good quote that summarized everything. The gist of it was, ‘do I tell people when I have issues that I’m dealing...
February 2012
1 post
5 tags
Ever since I started this project, I’ve grappled with the idea of including myself as a participant.
I decided to go ahead and do so for two reasons:
I needed to make myself vulnerable to this process so that I could understand what the people who are sharing their stories with me might be feeling in these moments.
My experiences with nearly a decade of using self-injury as a...
January 2012
7 posts
4 tags
Nicole Keimer is the first person I interviewed and photographed for Live Through This. Since our shoot, I’ve changed my interview format and my shooting technique, which accounts for why her portrait is stylistically so different from the rest. The project evolves with every new story.
Nicole has been an active member of the suicide prevention community for years and spends quite a bit of...
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I met Joey Olszewski in McCarren Park in Brooklyn. I found out in the middle of our interview that we were just feet from where he made his attempt. I’m so glad that suicide wasn’t one of his successes. Below, he discusses his methods of coping with his attempt as well as the reality that mental health takes real work to achieve, and it isn’t always easy.
Eventually, it just...
3 tags
Chris Agudo’s suicide attempt and subsequent hospitalization was the inspiration for Living is So Big, the life appreciation organization he and his family operate. They travel around the country helping people of all ages find their reasons why life is worth living. Below, Chris shares what saved his life.
For some reason… for some reason, out of nowhere, I’m like, ‘let me turn my ...
3 tags
Yesterday, I did the sixth interview/shoot for LTT with Chris Agudo of Living is So Big. Chris is such a positive person, and his family is equally as charming. They snapped a behind the scenes shot of me working, which is below. I can’t wait to share Chris’s story with you guys.
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The CDC released preliminary data on their 2010 National Vital Statistics Reports earlier this week, which included the top 15 causes of death in the United States that year. Interesting fact, and the reason why I write this at all: suicide was tenth on the list, and homicide was altogether absent. Food for thought, yeah?
Thanks to the ever amazing Nurse Michelle for catching @vasta’s tweet...
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Cara Anna was a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press in Beijing when she attempted suicide most recently. Below, she shares a thought that really resonates with me:
You do things that define you and your life, and this is one of them, but it’s hidden because everyone is so scared of it. What would happen if we talked about it instead of hiding it away? What would happen? I...
4 tags
When last we spoke, I’d just done the first Live Through This shoot. Since then, I’ve done three more, and have three more scheduled. Things are rolling along nicely, and I’m so excited to finally share some of the work with you. I’d like to introduce the project to the world with the story of Tile Wolfe, who had some brilliant, eloquent things to say about her experiences...
December 2011
1 post
7 tags
I finally started shooting for Live Through This (LTT) yesterday. This has been a long time coming. I feel incredible, and incredibly inspired.
If you’re not familiar with LTT, it’s a project about life on the other side of a suicide attempt. Suicide is a terrifying epidemic. Instead of talking about it, we make broad generalizations about who it affects (ie., not us), and then sweep...
June 2011
2 posts
4 tags
I’m nearing the end of History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life, a memoir by Jill Bialosky. Years after her sister committed suicide, Bialosky contacted Dr. Edwin Shneidman to piece together a psychological autopsy.
In talking, he gave her a key piece of information—one thing everyone should know about suicide and its prevention:
“What should you do if you fear...
2 tags
Hello, everybody!
I apologize for the long silence. Summer’s here, and it’s business as usual behind the scenes at LTT headquarters.
T-shirts are out in the world! I’ve had reports back from cities as close as Philadelphia and as far as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It’s amazing to see all these smiling faces in support of such an important cause as suicide prevention.
Check...
April 2011
3 posts
The headline:
Shock, Tragedy at Bend ‘Open Mic’ Night: Teen Keyboard Performer Stabs, Kills Self as Crowd Looks On
A brief synopsis: 19 year old Kipp Rusty Walker performs at an open mic night at Strictly Organic Coffee Company in Bend, OR and then stabs himself in the chest repeatedly in front of the audience. He dies.
A Google search of “Kipp Rusty Walker” relays...
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A quick note for those of you who purchased a LTT t-shirt: The order has been placed and you should have your shirt within approximately two to three weeks.
We ordered some extras, but they’re going fast. We are now completely sold out of medium t-shirts. As I mentioned before, it may be awhile before we order more, so if we still have your size, make sure to head over to...
10 tags
Hello! I apologize for the long silence. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes and haven’t had much time to write.
Your two big updates for today are:
This is your last chance to grab an official LTT logo tee at the pre-sale price of $19.99 (plus shipping). We’re about to send off the order for the first batch of shirts, and it may be awhile before we order more. Check...
March 2011
3 posts
We’re a week and a half into the launch, and things are rolling along. There have been some bumps so far, but these things are to be expected. I’ve also gotten some extremely touching messages in my inbox. The project is already affecting people in ways I never could have imagined. I’m dumbfounded, and happy for it.
A huge update worth noting is that last week, thanks to a loan...
3 tags
…And we’re officially launched!
I’m really excited that Live Through This is becoming a reality. I’d been carrying this seedling around with me for years, this idea that maybe I could take my life experience and merge it with all the training I’ve had, both academically and artistically, to mold it into something bigger than me—something useful, something that...
Welcome to the new and improved home of Live Through This. Any and all project updates and other relevant information will be posted here over time. We’re still working on getting everything up and running, so bear with us, but bookmark this url, too!
In the meantime, check out our Live Through This T-shirts! All proceeds will go to getting this project off the ground. They’re going...