The Island of Anhedonia
2024
My creative work is a therapeutic practice that arises from what I am taking in from the zeitgeist of the universe; what I hear, read, see and sense and the way I process that into imagery. I was listening to a podcast recently about a massive rise in what researchers are calling Post-Covid Anhedonia- a reduced ability to experience pleasure or joy. It can involve a lack of motivation to seek out pleasure or a lack of spark in activities you used to enjoy. Senses are muted- sight, sound, scent, taste and touch. The world goes on but you see it through frosted glass. I now have a name for what I have been feeling (or not feeling) for the past several years. It’s just a general feeling of “meh” in life and, according to new data, it could be triggered by the Covid virus itself and compounded by the isolation experienced during the pandemic period. I wouldn’t consider myself sad or depressed, but there is definitely less color and flavor in the things that used to inspire me or bring me true joy. “The Island of Anhedonia” explores this concept and what we can do collectively to help ourselves begin to feel again.
