Sometimes, the most meaningful reminders of our impact come to us unexpectedly.
This summer, Madeline “Maddie” Rose spent five weeks at the Exeter Summer program at Phillips Exeter Academy, where a chance connection with Margo Walsh, founder of MaineWorks and a longtime friend of The Yellow Tulip Project, introduced her to YTP and our mission of smashing the stigma surrounding mental health.
Inspired by what she learned, Maddie chose to center her final project around themes of mental health, suicide, recovery, and most importantly, hope. Through a powerful stop-motion film, she uses symbolism to tell the story of a young person struggling against the darkness within herself. Along the way, a yellow tulip becomes a symbol of something stronger: the hope that remains, even when it can be difficult to see.
When Maddie reached out to share her project with us, we were incredibly moved, not only by the thought and creativity behind her film, but by the reminder that messages of hope can travel farther than we sometimes realize. One person shares a story, another makes a connection, and someone else is inspired to create something entirely new.
We are honored to share Maddie’s film and her reflections on what inspired it, in her own words.
ARTIST COMMENTS:
“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.” -Bram Stoker, Dracula
Everybody has an inner monster. Everybody has some form of shame, or guilt, or anger, that is kept inside of them. Yet, that inner monster is only one small part of you. Through this short film, I had a singular goal-to help people understand the power of hope. Throughout this short cinematic piece, the viewer sees a girl, and a monster. This monster is actually the other part of the girl-the part that tells her she isn’t good enough. Eventually, the young girl falls into despair. Yet, that is not the end of her story.
For many suicide survivors, the story does not end as recovery begins. Recovery can often be a very long, very hard journey, filled with many ups and downs. But, nearing the end of the film, something magical happens. The room suddenly fills with light-the girl’s light, the girl’s hope. This banishes the monster, it even makes the monster fear her. In the end, the girl realizes that she is not worthless, that this isn’t the end of the story. There will still be hardships, but now she can use her hope as a light to guide her through the darkness. So, in the end, everybody may still have an inner monster, but they still have one more thing. Hope.
