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Melancholia Universalis.

For a long time now, mental health has been on our minds. Suicide has become more common, or maybe just more openly talked about, once more celebrities made headlines with it, and over the pandemic, in particular, more and more young people struggle with mental health issues and suicidal tendencies. It’s so sad and intense and leaves people so very helpless, that we have always felt a strong need to do something.

Right before the pandemic we were in conversation with a few friends and noticed how many other people felt this way. We had many discussions about how social media had for far too long portrayed a perfect life and made everyone who is feeling even slightly sad or less perfect feel absolutely deficient and alone. The idea emerged that we needed to normalize people not being okay, to make sadness and struggle an accepted part of social media, and I am not talking about the performative kind we have seen peppered in on our channels years ago. I am talking about real vulnerability and honesty.

What emerged from these conversations was Melancholia Universalis, an idea that held so much hope and excitement for us, to at least shift this lense a tiny bit. To create a series of interviews with people only we know and also people everyone else knows through social media and beyond and allow them to share freely about their struggles. To hold space for the difficult stuff. To ask how someone is doing and really want to know the answer. Not the trained responses – good, thank you very much.

Back then we had our beautiful studio in DTLA, and we had some incredible camera gear there between projects and started to invite some friends over to have these conversations, in front of our lens.
We wanted to talk to so many more people, to shoot beautiful analog portraits, to create an event in a gallery to share the work and broaden the conversation. We had hoped it would be just a little glimmer of hope for people who felt sad, and alone with that sadness.

Then the pandemic happened. And first, we waited for it to end, and when we realized that wasn’t happening any time soon, we did a couple of interviews over Zoom with some of the people who couldn’t be in our studio anymore. And we have spent a lot of time overthinking and regretting not having started it sooner, and not feeling ready to share it in a lesser, incomplete version.
Now, more than 2 years later, we find ourselves in Kauai, in a completely different situation. Yet the need for these conversations feels more important than ever. We have waited all this time to pick the project back up, to have all the conversations with the people who we couldn’t film during this difficult time. We waited to give this idea the space it deserved and then feared that it would never see the light of day because our perfectionism wouldn’t allow us to share something not perfect. Which is part of this whole problem.

So, today, we decided to share something utterly imperfect. Just the beginning of a glimmer of hope, that felt unworthy to share for this whole time. Yet never left our brain, because it matters oh so much to us. And we wanted to thank everyone who was willing to feel into this with us.

Please take the time to listen to these wonderful people’s answers. And to ask the people in your lives how they are doing, and truly hear their response. Please allow yourself to not be happy. To not be done or perfect, and share it anyways.

Thank you for holding this here in this tiny intimate space.
We love you. Lisa & Tim