Visible & Judgeable vs.
The Invisible Reality

Visible and Judgeable vs. The Invisible Reality shows two sides of brain injuries. 

The perception YOU have based on what YOU can SEE, and the reality that's INVISIBLE to you.
 

It was challenging to create this piece, as I didn't think a side-by-side image would show what I was trying to communicate. 

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An art piece that spins, where both sides are part of the same piece, does. Think of it like a coin, there are 2 sides but it's one and the same coin. By rotating the art piece you see the other side. 

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There is the calm, the acceptance, the visible and judgeable, the things YOU believe to understand based on your visual comprehension and societal norms. 

It doesn't show you the invisible reality. 

Spin the piece around and you have an insight into a normal day for me, where I look "Normal", "Healthy", "Recovered", etc., but my brain feels like it's exploding inside a pressure cooker that's my head. 

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I can't count the amount of times I was told: 

- BUT you don't LOOK sick/disabled!

- BUT yo are TOO YOUNG for that!

- BUT you LOOK great, so OBVIOUSLY you are HEALTHY!

- BUT it's all just in your head! (Um, ...yeah,... That's where the brain is located.)

- BUT have you tried YOGA, KETO, INTERMITTENED FASTING, MUSHROOMS, etc. (If you have an invisible disability, you likely just chuckled, or rolled your eyes, because you know exactly what I am saying.)

- And countless more. 

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I get it, many individuals never had to deal with the challenges of invisible disabilities, and I am happy for them. I sincerely hope they never will have the experience. 

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Canada has a whole month dedicated to Brain Injury Awareness, yet if you ain't affiliated with the Brain Injury Community, you likely have never heard about it, as it is a damning silent affair. 

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This piece shows the two sides. The visible, the judgeable, the what society allows you to understand, the expectation based on masses, and the understanding of feeling sick with the flu, or healing a broken bone. And the invisible, incomprehensible reality that simply cannot be truly understood by anyone but those who lived it.