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I sometimes forget I have a mental illness. I think most of the people in my life forget as well

I WAS READING SOMEWHERE THAT SCHIZOPHRENIA WAS NOT SUPPOSE TO SURVIVE EVOLUTION THAT SOMEHOW WE WE'RE SUPPOSE TO BE WEEDED OUT. BUT GUESS WHAT WE ARE NOT A MISTAKE GOD DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES

What truly is significance? Do you have to achieve vast amounts of money? Or does your art have to fetch a hefty sum? Why do we give credit to only those who do things for the World to see? What about those who help quietly? Those who ask for nothing in return when they do something good. That is how I hope to help with my art. We have to stop putting significance where it does not belong.

THE MISREPRESENTATION OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN ALL OF IT'S FORMS WILL NEVER CEASE UNLESS THOSE WHO HAVE A VOICE COME TOGETHER AND BE STRONG FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT. AS AN ARTIST SUFFERING FROM SCHIZOPHRENIA I AM GOING TO MAKE A POINT OF JOINING WITH FELLOW SCHIZOPHRENIC ADVOCATES AND ARTISTS IN HOPES OF BUILDING A PLATFORM FOR AN ILLNESS THAT IS OVER STIGMATIZED IN WORLD OF ILLNESS' THAT ARE ALREADY STIGMATIZED. IF YOU WANT TO JOIN THE CAUSE EMAIL ME

As a schizophrenic artist I see things differently no matter what situation I am in. My personal philosophy is that there is beauty in everything. Being beautiful is to truly not let let the ugly negativity of the World be reflected in you. I believe ugly is only on the inside. I try to stay true to who I am not letting others change my perspective or convictions.

Can you make a statement as an artist without being obscene? I think so, shock value gets old if there isn't a method to any artits' madness then it will become old fast. I recently came across an group of artist' that made it clear their intentions to not be censored in any way that by some means censorship is against freedom of speech. I am all for people speaking their minds but I think you can portray your message as an artist without making it gratuitous. Some people with that loud and forceful is the only way to say something. As a schizophrenic artist trying to make a statement for the advocacy of mental illness then honesty is the best way for me to make my statement

This is a question that has plagued me my entire life, do some people have a better life? Or do we just suffer in entirely different ways? I often ponder the thought that it must be so nice to have a bad hair day! Life is good enough that vanity is a crisis. Maybe my good day would equal someone else's bad day or vice versa? No matter what the answer would be to that question I am grateful for the things I have learned through my bad days.

I have to say when I was 16 years old psychotic not knowing up from down, if someone had said what I was going through would ultimately make me a better person I would have told them to take a long walk off a short pier. Being schizophrenic has given me a chance to see things from a humbling perspective that someone without the illness would never be able to know. That being said I would not wish this illness on anyone. I am stronger and schizophrenia has influenced my art, my beliefs, it has made me more sensitive to the plights of others. Looking back what was once seen as a curse has turned out to be many blessings.

JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING ISN'T NORMAL DOES NOT MAKE IT WRONG! I AM A FAN OF LIFE AND THE IDEA THAT EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING HAS IT'S PLACE. BEING SCHIZOPHRENIC IS NO MORE OF A CHOICE THEN BEING GAY. I LIKE TO CONSIDER MYSELF NOT ONLY AN ADVOCATE FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA BUT HUMAN RIGHTS IN GENERAL. I JUST GREW UP SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE SAYING BEING GAY IS NOT "NORMAL" THIS MESSAGE MADE ME THINK HEY BEING SCHIZOPHRENIC IS ALSO NOT NORMAL "BY THE WAY WHAT THE HELL IS NORMAL?" WE HAVE TO STOP USING THESE MARGINALIZING TERMS. HOW COME IT IS OK TO HATE SOMETHING IF YOU PRETEND IT IS COMING FROM A GOOD PLACE? I DON'T THINK GOD WOULD APPRECIATE THIS. AS A SCHIZOPHRENIC AND AN ARTIST I FEEL THE PLIGHT OF ANY MISTREATED PERSONS.

What is the true fear of Schizophrenia based on? I know there is a stigma. There is also alot of what I consider to be old wives tales and outmoded terminology like "crazy" that's not even a relative term not to mention politically incorrect. The media seems to like to regurgitate this lie that somehow mentally ill and criminal are interchangeable words? We have a condition we take meds for you will not become "CRAZY" by admitting you know us. The huge step that needs to be taken has to be made to get over the fear of the unknown by getting to know us the people with mental illness not the crazies not the psychos or the mental the PEOPLE.