Depressed Soul.

This is from ProjectComment: projectcomment.deviantart.com/ Where do I begin with this one...

As somebody who has and still battles depression, this piece is absolutely beautiful to me. I remember when it was at its worst for me. Years ago, there were days when I would sleep through both the night and day, and no matter how much I slept, I never felt rested. I never found any pleasure in anything. Thank god for Pink Floyd. All those hours listening to The Wall were a lifesaver. Enough reminiscing. Onto the critique.

There's so much in this to see. The background is just pure misery, made up of dull colors and despair that, to me, represents the eternal gloom that stands between the sufferer and their goals. The person on his knees has very much an Everyman look. He's all in black with semi-undefinable features, suggesting that this could be any of us and anywhere. Also, if you look closely at the lower right of the foreground, you can see hands reaching up from the muck. Are they friendly hands of aid, reaching out to save him, or are they going to drag him back into depression? It's kind of postmodern.

What truly steals it for me is the clock in the background. There's a line from Hot Hot Heat that comes to mind: "Friday night I'll raise my glass and say: Tomorrow, things will change. I can't afford to wait. But by Monday morning my alarm clock knows how this story goes, and the end remains the same as the start." That's how I see the clock. Depression is a drug and a wheel. It goes in a circle like the hands of a clock. You vow to get over it, but eventually, some part of you is used to it.

This is so haunting and beautiful. Sometimes the only way to conquer the demons in your head is to romance them. That's what I believe, anyway. Welcome to The List.