Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tylauna Gilder-Wixom. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tylauna , sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
For me, persisting thru the challenges of mental health takes a LOT of faith. Doesn’t matter if it’s following a religion, going to church, etc. but most importantly, having faith in yourself and believing that you can get thru life helps in overcoming such issues related to mental health.
I struggle with Bipolar 2 and Depersonalization Derealization (DPDR) Disorder, everyday is a new challenge I face with these disorders, especially the DPDR. It rips me from reality, it makes me feel as if I and everything around me is a dream simulation. It’s hard to deal with, even when I try to distract myself, the thoughts of hopelessness will creep in each time an episode happens.
However, what gets me thru it is having the faith in myself and believing that I am more than just my mental illness. I am worthy of the love and support of my husband, family, and friends. I’m worthy of my artistic prowess and successes. I am worthy of living a life full of happiness and the blessings that come with it!
I believe that anyone can overcome the challenges of mental health, it just takes a little faith. Slowly but surely that faith will grow stronger, then before you know it, those struggles become a bit easier to navigate.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a visual artist of various forms and mediums; drawing, painting, graphic design, animation, tattoos, you name it! I love to learn how to do many art techniques in order to become a better more expansive artist.
My art style takes fun, dark, and/or sexy subjects and morphs it with a trippy psychedelic twist! I don’t necessarily have a consistent flow to my pieces, I just create what comes to mind. I like to play around with my art, I’m usually like “Oh this [random subject] is cool. . . but how can I make it trippy?”.
Lately, I’ve been doing blacklight paintings and painting the trippy effects instead of doing them digitally, which can be challenging but really fun when you get the hang of it!
What has been new, is that I have recently been trying my hand out at applying to art shows and galleries so I can get more exposure as well as sell my paintings and stickers! Hopefully that goes well, I’m somewhat nervous about it but excited at the same time! Other than that, I’ve still been pursuing a career in tattoo artistry.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Keep Painting, Stay Persistent, and Have Patience!
Take all those emotions you have and put them on a canvas (or whatever medium you create on). If you’re feeling happy, do art! If you’re hella angry, do art! If you’re down and depressed, do art! Let all of those emotions fuel your creativity! Of course it’s okay to take breaks and/or experience burnout, but whatever you do, don’t bottle your emotions.
Don’t let your hobbies die out! Especially if you feel that all is lost when in comes to making those hobbies a career. Stay with them! Even if you think you’re not successful in your career path, giving up only leads to monotony and more frustration with yourself. Don’t compare your success to your peers, as long as you’re doing what you love, you’ll be fine.
These things take time. Mind you, I still struggle with this last one, but I always have to remind myself that good things come with time. Go at your own pace, enjoy the ride! There’s a reason the say patience is a virtue, because you’ll drive yourself crazy by rushing your own success.
Oh and make sure to network with others and keep an open mind. Doesn’t matter who it is, you can gain insight and knowledge from anybody.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I usually take a moment and step back from what I’m doing. Whether it’s hanging out by myself to zen or with my husband, friends, or family and going out somewhere nice & chill; I make sure to take a break from the things that overwhelm me.
Recently my favorite strategy to overcoming the feeling of being overwhelmed is to pet my dog, Sterling! No matter how I’m feeling, I always remind myself to “Pet Dog”, then I instantly feel better! I even got my husband to adopt this strategy whenever he’s overwhelmed or down. Not only does it help us de-stress, it makes my dog super happy!
So yeah, I highly recommend folks to get a furry pet! They help a lot!
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