By Brianna Holcomb - Arts and Entertainment Editor

“Resist the reoccurring phantom pains.” “I’m good thanks.” “… for the sake of my sanity …”

These are some of the statements that can be found in Courtney Richmond’s gallery, “Phantom Pains.”

“Phantom Pains” is a gallery dedicated to showing people that they are not alone in facing mental illness. The goal behind Richmond’s gallery is to “demonstrate how common [the themes] are and to bring the audience closer to [her] perspective.”

Using pieces from her diaries and journals, Richmond is able to highlight themes of anxiety, isolation and mental illness through the gallery. Each one of her miniature collage pieces incorporates one of these themes.

As you follow the pieces along the wall, you will see there is a nonlinear progression with the feelings. When we think about mental illness, anxiety or feelings of isolation, everyone views them in stages.

However, when people go through these emotions in real life, there is no linear progression at all. Each day is a different battle and Richmond does an excellent job showcasing this.

Each one of the collage pieces looks as though you can find each one in a magazine. Appearing in this gallery are cutouts of women with tears running down their faces made from pictures of a waterfall, girls carrying books and even one that is as simple as a bunch of flowers.

The collage that features the array of flowers is my favorite. The flowers are not only beautiful against the pink background, but the words on this piece of art were ones that resonated with me the most. Phrases such as “get home safe” or “you can count on me” are all things that we have been told by a loved one or a friend. Often times these are the words we question from people the most, especially when one is feeling anxious, isolated or dealing with a mental illness.

Richmond is able to express the confusion and pain that is felt when addressing these issues and does a great job of starting the discussion of a subject that can be very taboo in our society. She showcases how common these feelings are in a way that the viewer can understand and relate to.

Anxiety, isolation and mental illness are never a linear progression; they are a chaotic roller coaster of feelings, something Courtney Richmond must understand very well.