Happy Halloween everyone 👻💀🎃
A Personal Symbolic Exploration in My Art
(Trigger warning, mental health/suicide)
This project has proven to be the most challenging and emotionally draining experience I've faced so far. For more than ten years, I've been grappling with the seriousness of a particularly dark period in my life. For years, I've wanted to share my story, but instead of a straightforward recounting, I prefer to weave my narrative through the lenses of horror, poetry, and music, embracing a new—unique storytelling style.
In my latest video, I delve into the familiar, profound and haunting themes of depression and the fight for survival, telling my story with rich symbolism and storytelling.
The plot centres around a woman unwittingly finds herself in a bad place, only to face a dark entity—the Blood Raven. This figure encapsulates the deep-seated pain and guilt often tied to mental illness, serving as a metaphor for my own encounters with depression and challenges.
The Raven and the Shadow:
The raven is a potent symbol across various cultures, frequently signifying mystery, transformation, and the shadow self—the aspects of ourselves we fear or wish to conceal. In the story, the raven’s descent into the clearing represents the plunge into despair, a familiar experience for those grappling with depression. The ornate mirror acts as a dual reflection of identity: it not only reveals the woman’s physical appearance but also the monstrous Blood Raven, symbolising the inner demons that torment her. With that the woman finally sees herself the way she truly is, imperfect and flawed. The mirror reflection is true and breaks down all self illusion and delusion exposing her.
The Metamorphosis:
The agonising transformation from raven back to woman encapsulates the continuing loss of one’s identity as a new one takes hold. As she discards her feathers, we witness the struggle to escape the cycle of mental illness. This metamorphosis is fraught with pain and confusion, mirroring the reality that relapse and recovery often feels like a battle against oneself.
The woman’s fight against the dark sludge signifies the burden of guilt, despair and social stigma that can be overwhelming and chronic, reminding us that these emotions can be all-consuming and inescapable.
The Manifestation of Inner Demons:
The Blood Raven, with its grotesque appearance and menacing voice, embodies despair itself. It mocks the woman, reflecting the harsh self-criticism and feelings of worthlessness that accompany depression. The creature’s declaration that “you are nothing without me” underscores the insidious nature of mental illness, which can ensnare one in a cycle of negativity. The Blood Raven is a trickster, trapping the woman in an endless guilt and shame spiral keeping her in front of the mirror and at The Blood Raven's mercy, which is a metaphor for how your mind can keep you trapped in guilt and shame.
Blakeney-Rose Berry 