One year ago a thought came to me while sitting on my couch unable to do anything else. I am more than this depression. That thought became an idea, and the idea became a reality. Sixteen portraits and twenty-one essays were born out of that initial thought, from individuals of all ages who shared their histories, their loves, their dreams and their gifts. They have inspired us, educated us, broken our hearts, and reminded us of all that we are capable of.

Thank you Jim, Avelino, Brenda, Sophie, Chris, Dylan, Melissa, Donna, Susie, Emilia, Ramani, Seth, Anita, Laurie, Julia, Rebecca, Gianna, Henry, Sefatia, and Patrick for reminding me, and all of us, that we are not alone in our pain, and we are so much more.

Phase One—the portraits, are done.

The depths of winter bring us into Phase Two—your turn. Through the rest of the winter and spring, you are invited to share your experience in the form of an essay, a poem, a list, or images, to describe how you are more than your pain. I’ve created a Writing Guide to give you ideas to think about, and I will help you in any way necessary to express yourself. For those who have thought about contributing but are having a hard time committing, I encourage you to reach out to those who have participated, or myself. I have no doubt that these twenty-one people have benefited from sharing their experiences, many to their great surprise.

If you are a member of a group, club, or place of worship that might find I Am More helpful to your members, I am happy to help you organize a workshop or reading. If you are an art or writing teacher, I can help you share the project with your students, as I did at Gloucester High school, with thanks to art teacher Lorrinda Cerrutti.

Then, stay tuned for Phase Three…

If you would like to share how you are more than your depression, grief, bipolar disorder, addiction, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorder or OCD please email me at amykerrdraws@gmail.com for a Writing Guide.

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