8-9 years ago, I wasn’t always the way I am today. I used to be scared of my depression and mania, believing that they were the end game. I used to be stuck in fear, believing that my moods were in control of my life.
But that was all normal, as I was just beginning to understand my bipolar disorder, how to handle it, and live a full life with it, with my family, and my art.
Creating art, be it dance, painting, or writing was helpful. That, and good sleep!
I’ve seen that creating art daily helps me focus my mind and stabilise my mood, along with understanding that even if my mood shifts, it will pass again. I’m no longer as afraid because I know my triggers and I have the tools to address them.
Other than taking medication, and being in therapy, I make sure to sleep well, manage stress as best as possible, include self -care in my routines, and create my art. My latest book, “Tears and Grape Seeds” poetry and art, is a result of my process.
”Tears and Grape Seeds” is the result of coming to terms with my moods, as well as with the ultra fast pace and changes and the depressing state of the world at large.
It’s available across Bangkok and Thailand including at Kinokuniya, at River City Book shop, Happening book store at the BACC, River Books, as well as at the Open House at Central Embassy.
In Lusaka it is available at Collective Hands (formerly the Lusaka Collective) and at 37D Gallery.
Amazon link: Tears and Grape Seeds
Tears and Grape Seeds explores themes of displacement, identity, and mental health through a deeply personal lens.
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“Natasha’s latest collection, Tears and Grape Seeds, bears the rawness of a journal that we shouldn’t read but can’t put down. Her poetry infers connections between vanishing cities, teetering relationships and her own mental composure, without her losing that unwavering will to live on.”
— Mahmoud Kaabour, Film Maker / Creative Consultant
“Devalia’s Tears and Grape Seeds is rendered with a feather-light pen but filled with incisive, inventive, and layered observations.”
— Mubanga Kalimamukwento, author of The Mourning Bird
“Tears and Grape Seeds is a sensitive, loving reflection bleeding on a page. Natasha’s stunning use of metaphor offers exquisite dialogue between all that can be seen and not felt, and that which is felt so intensely and never seen.”
— Natasha Evans, Visual Artist
Amazon link: Tears and Grape Seeds
Natasha Devalia 