The Clark County Regional Support Network's annual Visions of Recovery Poster Contest aims to promote mental health recovery and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Research shows that people with a mental illness can and do recover and this display provides an inside look at what recovery can look and feel like to someone with a psychiatric diagnosis or those who love them. All of the entrees were submitted either by individuals with first hand experience with mental illness or their family members. Five top entries were selected through public voting and are available as reproductions free of charge. All 29 original entries are available for public display. If you are interested in hosting a display of the artwork, obtaining a reproduction of one of the winning entries, or in information about future poster contests, please contact: Melanie Green |
| Poster (each poster is a link to a larger image) |
Title |
Message |
Winner |
Acknowledge Your Mental Stage | My picture this year represents "mind over matter." During my years for recovery, I have acknowledged how difficult I make it thinking that it is ok to relapse being and getting into my own head! Thinking it is right to just slip away at times knowing what I will do, where I will go, postpone successful tasks, stop loving cuz I want to blame, and it goes on and on! Now, I have taken steps one at a time so that I acknowledge my mental stage without continued lies that I know can lead me to crooked paths for destruction. "I am my own leader." ~ Ricardo Hardy |
Winner |
Moving Mountains | One small step at a time. ~ Lyn Pattison |
Winner |
Never Stop Reaching | Recovery is always possible. No matter how daunting it may feel at times, you must
never stop reaching for your dreams, your potential, a friend, or for the stars. The further
you reach, the more stars you can touch, the more blessing you receive. ~ Janet Bentley-Jones |
Winner |
We All Grew Up at the Same Table |
I chose childhood toys for the theme of my artwork believing that all of us might be able to relate in some way, and that mental health affects us all at some level. Art has always been an important tool for my mental wellbeing, and I am pleased that my poster has the unexpected consequence of bringing a smile to others. ~ John Cantrall |
Winner |
Wilted by Stigma |
See me for the living being that I am—I can and do change, recover and thrive. ~ Suzanne Selby |
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Addiction Leaves You Blinded | Strength ~ Alexzander Johnston |
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An Inspiration | There are many forms of inspiration. ~ Sheree Thun |
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BELIEVE | It is important to let people know how traumatized my illness had made me feel…but with my belief in a higher power and determination I became master of my illness. For the first time I was able to see a world of hope and wellness. ~ Eric Johnson |
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Clarisa | I have faith that when I feel afraid that my guardian angel is protecting me. ~ Elisabeth Quesada |
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Family Life | The poem shows that I know I will be in the best health because I will feel well enough
to have kids. This poster show what I want in my future and I want my own house and to
have kids. ~ Katherine Lawer |
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Hallway | Each door in the hallway is a different task. The light at the end of the hallway is the
goal or achievement of the person in recovery. ~ Britney Cheramie |
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Hand & Hand | We go through life hand and hand. ~ Memory Buma |
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Helping Hands | There is a helping hand in the community if you are looking for help or need help for someone else ~ Karen Hayden |
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If not but for the Grace of God | After being diagnosed and put on medications, the delusions and hallucinations stopped. It also made me able to think more clearly, but then all that consumed my mind was my pain, anger, unforgiveness and wounds from the past. When in my desperation I turned to God, I found healing, forgiveness and a joy I hadn't felt in years. I found freedom from it all, not repressed emotions. It was dealt with once and for all. What peace then flooded my spirit and soul. ~ Monica Sherman |
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I've Got the Fire | Once others controlled my anger because situations and circumstances caused me to react. Now I am in control of my anger because I am able to sort out my feelings and have power over my behavior. Recovery for me equals control - to be in command of my thoughts and actions. ~ Sam Weaver |
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Journey Through Nightmare into Recovery | I fell into a deep nightmare which was called mental illness. My journey was long and strenuous and I still am working at it today. It has been one of the toughest degrees to receive with all the information provided from case managers, therapists, hospital staff as well as doctors. My recovery is looking up into the moonlit night amongst the millions of stars and knowing someday I will be free from nightmares and borders and be able to thrive in society as a normal individual with decades of degrees. I will be eternally grateful for all the people who have stood by me and cared. My journey through my living nightmare (my mental illness) has been hell but my journey into recovery is looking to the universe and knowing within my soul it is as infinite as all the stars in the sky. Through errors and struggles and information we become our finest teacher. |
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Joy! | My poster represents how I have changed so many thoughts, feelings and behavior to be well--and I know I have grown. I use many skills in my recovery however the most effective has been Dialectical Behavior Therapy. I have learned and practice them daily for 5 years. I am "creating a life worth living," (Marsha Linehan) and my poster reflects how much joy I have in my life today. ~ JoAnn Patrick-Findley |
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Leafing Out | As my recovery progressed, I realized that my two biggest motivators were curiosity and the possibility of surprises in my future. Within the predictable renewal of spring sometimes you get treated to the sudden, surprising visit of a bird that you've never seen before. Such surprises can tug us into a brighter future. ~ Marnie Thompson |
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Light at the End of the Tunnel | "There's always hope." Look for the bright side of life. It gets brighter in time. ~ Jill Roberts |
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Power to be Different | Never leave who you are behind. ~ Amber Downing |
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Reaching for the Stars | We stay depressed and despondent when we focus on our life's problems. Yet just the act of lifting our eyes to the sky and the twinkle of stars we begin to connect with hope and beauty that we are part of. That is the beginning of recovery. ~ Rebecca Heacock |
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Recovery's Possibilities | Breaking down the wall of mental illness has many social possibilities. ~ Jennifer Newkick |
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Scale of Recovery | Recovery to me means balancing the positive and negative things in life. If you add more positive to you life, then the negative had less impact. We may not be able to control all of the negative from the outside sources but we can control what we put in. ~ Cat Naish |
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Sink or Swim | No matter your problems, situations, burdens, crisis—no matter the situation—there is
only two options to me: "Sink or Swim." ~ Ashlie Castro |
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The 5 Year Plan | My therapist told me a story about someone struggling with a mental illness and it took
her several years before she was able to control her symptoms. The 5 year plan part
resonated with me because my therapist said that I was ahead in my plan. I just hope
people dealing with a mental illness can have goals and then make them (achieve
them). ~ Tony Yim |
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The Path of Enlightenment | This piece of art has a multitude of visions depending on who is looking at it. My vision is the path through the city represents the path and time when life is stressed and painful at times. It leads, of course by choice, to the cross. The cross represents an acknowledgement or growth in spirituality, which leads to a more colorful and peaceful path in the scenic mountainside. The eagle on the scenic mountain represents freedom. ~ William Bliege |
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The Promise of Renewal | I know rain. In the Northwest as soon as it stops raining, it begins to rain again. In the late fall the cycle begins and doesn't end until sometime in spring. It is as though the sun fearfully hides its face. Some days the sky is so gray it is hard to see where it ends and the road begins. One learns quickly that life doesn't stop; one adapts to the weather. Some of my most vivid memories happen in the rain. ~ Michelle Quesada |
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Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk | I'm a non-practicing addict, a four-time loser, with 10 years in prison. It's a tough way to find oneself, but I have no regrets, I took advantage of all those long and lonely days by practicing my art, lifting iron, as this became a way to stay physiologically fit, exercising my god-given talent and body. Without drugs, I started liking what I was seeing. It's been said adversity introduces a man to himself and I found this to be true. If I had not suffered, I can safely assure you that you would not be seeing my artwork, nor me going to treatment at CVAB. I am thankful! ~ Richard Womack |
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Within | Many people with mental illnesses seem perfectly fine and "normal," but inside there is
chaos. The various images within the girl's figure represent various mental illnesses.
People with mental illnesses are not all scary, creepy people! Part of recovery is
shedding light on your "demons" inside and discovering yourself, your weaknesses and
what you need to work on. ~ Stephanie VanVolkinburg |
