VAINE
/1
VAINE
/8
VAINE
Faye Larkin is a 21-year-old illustrator based in Dublin. She is currently studying in the National College of Art and Design, specialising primarily in illustration but with a keen interest in risograph, graphics and typography. Her style is constantly evolving and she continuously seeks inspiration from peers and the world around her. @faye.pdf
/9
“ALONE” ILLUSTRATION BY FAYE LARKIN
VAINE
/ 48
VAINE
Simon Linder is an illustrator and Animator from Innsbruck in Tyrol, Austria. He has been drawing and painting since childhood and has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Animation. He is very interested in interactive media, especially videogames. Art has always been a way for him to express and reflect on his own mental health. He also likes to trim hedges. @simlolinder
/ 49
VAINE
/ 66
VAINE The Vicious
Cir
cle
It returns me to the vicious circle again. And it feels impossible to break out of, because the more you fight against the thoughts, the stronger they become. I decided to make a photo-story to illustrate my experience of pure OCD. The photographs represent different stages in the process. The process starts the moment an unwanted thought pops into my head. There is a duality created here, between the intrusive thought and my own thoughts which recognise it as a threat. Then comes fear, as my brain registers the unwanted thought, the amygdala feels under attack and so gives me the sensation of alarm, accompanied by distressing feelings. Then comes the experience of feeling ‘stuck’. The thoughts and the feelings dominate your mind to such an extent that you start to feel like you will always feel this way, and that this is your new reality from now on. I have learned that the common sense response to the thoughts, to rationalise with them, is actually the worst thing that you can do, as it further fuels the strength of the intrusive thought and generates more anxiety and distress. This stage is known as False Comfort. The best thing to do is just to acknowledge them, and let them pass. While trapped in this entanglement of thought, a natural response is triggered to sooth the distressing feelings, such as sitting in the foetal position. There is simply nothing to do but wait for the thoughts to pass.
/ 67