El Mental Health

Refran: "Silence isn't always golden, it's the unsung symphony of struggles."

Card Description: For my Loteria Card I wanted to share my thoughts on Mental Health. What inspired me to choose Mental health as a subject matter was because often the topic of mental health can be seen as a sensitive topic but also tends to be overlooked or minimized. I wanted to be able to bring awareness to the topic. The colors in the piece represent emotions because when I used the darker tones, I connected them with negative thoughts and holding back. For me personally, this card represents that we never know what kind of baggage someone else is holding onto because most of the time we just see a smile and that's it. But I want the audience to see that not everything is what it seems to be and we don't know when someone is staying silent because they feel like a "bother". During the process, it was difficult at first because I didn't know what kind of approach I wanted to take because this topic can be represented in many ways but throughout the process I was proud on how the painting came out and what I was able to capture. I'm glad I had the opportunity to be able to create a Loteria card on such a big topic.

Student Biography: My name is Carolina Espinoza-Valdez, I am 17 years old and a senior at Santa Maria High School. I live in Santa Maria, California with my parents, older siblings, and niece. What inspired me to draw my Loteria Card on the topic of Mental Health was that it's often a sensitive topic that society chooses to overlook or minimize. I wanted the chance to bring awareness to Mental Health. I did tend to struggle a bit on the drawing process because I wasn't sure what approach I wanted to take on representing it. I enjoyed seeing the painting come together at the end. After my last year of high school, I plan to attend a 4-year university and obtain my bachelor degree. I want to have financial stability along with a career to be able to support myself and give back to my parents.