密歇根新闻广播 艺术中的巨兽思想

Artists create for all sorts of reasons: to express emotion, convey an idea, or raise a political ruckus.

For people who struggle with anxiety and depression, art can also be a kind of therapy.

Creating Connection Michigan is a series of intimate, first-person stories about the powerful impact that art can have on both individuals and communities.

This week's story comes from sixteen-year-old Kat from Holland, Michigan. She tells us about her time at CultureWorks, a youth arts program that helped her deal with mental illness and rebuild her confidence.

Kat has experienced serious bullying¹ throughout her life and says her school offered little support.

She joined CultureWorks in search of an extracurricular activity that could help her process her social anxiety and open up about her huge bullying incident.

My first day at CultureWorks, I was so nervous I was on the verge² of tears, Kat said. But one of the interns³ came and talked to me and she seemed genuinely interested in what I did, and that felt really great.”

Kat says she uses her drawings, which she calls her mental monsters, to illustrate⁴ the physical manifestations⁵ of mental illnesses in order to better understand them.

My art helped me... be like, No that's not me! It's not me that I hate. It's these monsters that I hate, Kat said.

Being at CultureWorks has improved Kat's sense of self-worth, and she says being in that space makes her feel like she can succeed.

People encourage me and it feels amazing. People care about me, Kat said. I feel like an actual person who can actually be happy and have a great life.

You can find the full transcript⁶ of Kat's story here.

1 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

3 interns   

n.住院实习医生( intern的名词复数 )v.拘留，关押( intern的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Our interns also greet our guests when they arrive in our studios. 我们的实习生也会在嘉宾抵达演播室的时候向他们致以问候。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• The interns work alongside experienced civil engineers and receive training in the different work sectors. 实习生陪同有经验的国内工程师工作，接受不同工作部门的相关培训。 来自超越目标英语 第4册

4 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

5 manifestations   

n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• These were manifestations of the darker side of his character. 这些是他性格阴暗面的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To be wordly-wise and play safe is one of the manifestations of liberalism. 明哲保身是自由主义的表现之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。