Raised as a Human Stuffed Animal
various media
A charcoal hand, colored pencil illustration, typography experiment, marker drawing, cut-paper collage, and two booklets are only smaller pieces of a greater work: the story of my troubled upbringing. Growing up, I was fortunate to live an upper-middle class life in cozy suburbs with a good education. However, I had to balance that with my relationship with an abusive parent. The five wall pieces—Wounds, Whiplash, White Hairs, Warts, and Wisdom Teeth—describe my progression from being completely unaware of the emotional abuse I endured to processing and analyzing its imprints to reaching a stage of contentment. Not only is this series intended to show my side of the story but to show that others in a similar position may likely form a similar pathway of their own.
This piece serves as a commentary on two forms of emotional abuse: verbal wrath and a much less common form, infantilization. When I first started this project, I didn’t think I would even mention that my abuser and I regularly spoke to each other through stuffed animals throughout high school because I was too embarrassed. Many children can not only feel burdened but degraded by their families. This adds a layer of shame that can make it difficult for many victims to speak out, find help, or even recognize the harm. Children deserve to know these terms to better understand the severity of their circumstances and how it can manifest in their lives. I will continue to develop this project to try to cultivate a more trauma-informed and preventative society.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
My mission is to approach the most tense, seemingly unapproachable issues of our culture in mindful and constructive ways. I have a hard time not creating pieces about subject matter that has made me feel misunderstood, whether it be trauma or social issues, and through visual and emotional sensitivity and intensity. Much of the art I gravitate towards is bold and colorful in appearance and intricately raw in concept. My work is generally intended to give words and visuals to universally felt tensions.
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTION/CAREER ASPIRATION:
Visual art, creative writing, moving image
WEB PRESENCE:
CPTSD Foundation Blog:
https://cptsdfoundation.org/author/elizabeth-m/
LinkedIn: