Daniel Brooks

Year of birth: 1990.
Where do you live: Nashville, TN.
Your education: BFA fine arts at Memphis College of Art.
Describe your art in three words: Strength through pain.
Your discipline: mostly painting acrylic, illustration, sculpture, mixed media, macrame.
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Can you share more about the misfortunate experience that pushed you to start putting your art out there? How did it influence your creative process?

I can only share a small amount. I went through a mental breakdown last year that was becoming too overwhelming for me and those around me. All I can say is I lost some friends and colleagues due to my deep depression. I’ve always had a bit of a negative disposition towards myself, as if I didn’t click with the rest of society. When you beat yourself up for almost 20 years it’s hard to break the cycle. This unfortunate event made me realize I’ve been letting people walk over me, and I haven’t been standing up for myself. So I decided to pour my anger and anxiety out into these paintings while simultaneously painting an image of what it’s like day in and day out living with depressive episodes.

Daniel Brooks | Red Fog

Your work focuses on personal experiences with mental health. How do you translate those feelings into your artwork?

Mostly through color and textures. When painting “Red Fog” and “Due Punishment” I was focused heavily on these negative emotions in hopes that it would not only translate through brushstrokes and color, but also rid myself of those feelings therapeutically. With Red Fog the storm cloud represents the feeling I get from my deep emotional episodes I get on occasion. Negative thoughts, paranoia, and anxiety that I can rearrange in my head sparking disassociation and all sorts of issues.

What role does art play in managing your mental health? Has it become a therapeutic outlet for you?

Art has always been a joyful experience for me. I was always interested in art from a young age, and I’m fortunate enough to have some old highschool buddies that I can meet up with to work on art with. This most recent work has definitely been helpful. I do feel like the only path forward is to be as open as possible with who I am and what I’m experiencing at all times. I can safely say that’s not a philosophy I followed before last year.

Daniel Brooks | Castaway

You mention stigmas surrounding mental health. How do you address these stigmas through your art, and what impact do you hope to have on your audience?

The truth and feeling is in the eye of the beholder. I can only assume that sharing my experiences with mental health through the stories each painting expresses might widen their perception and awareness in the future. I know that I’ve experienced intense social anxiety and I’ve seen how it’s experienced by others. It would be nice to open some eyes to these experiences in the case it saves others from being wrongly ridiculed for their anxieties.

Has your art led to new relationships or conversations around mental health that you didn’t expect?

Not as of yet but I hope for it too. I’m still currently working on this series. I have had a career shift however, and I found something smaller and more tight knit. I will say my new found hopeful energies have led me to put myself more out there, and I consider myself very fortunate to get this opportunity. And I’m trying not to pass up future opportunities. 

Daniel Brooks | Due Punishment

What emotions do you hope to evoke in viewers when they engage with your pieces?

Each piece comes with its own story and experiences. I hope these paintings can create a sense of the turmoil I’ve experienced and maybe shed light on things they’ve experienced within themselves or with friends and family. I get very personal in some of the artist statements for each piece, but within reason. I’m not trying to upset anyone either.

How has the journey of exploring your own struggles with anxiety and depression influenced the evolution of your style or themes?

Before this even in Art School I never had a style. I did a few projects that were different but never fully applied myself to a single focus. These last couple of years have been very tough on me mostly mentally but physically as well. Focusing my depressive emotions into design and color has become a fantastic way to bottle these things outside myself for once. And I guess I’ve finally hit the level where I’m no longer bothered by others knowing about my depression. This isn’t over either, everyday is a struggle to push myself out of the house. It’s extremely difficult still to find any meaningful romantic connection, but I don’t see it as a negative anymore. I believe everything I’ve experienced has been experienced by other people many times over and it’s only right that I express this so they don’t feel alone.