I am a firm believer that people should treat others with kindness. I mean, have your own boundaries, but share a level of respect and understanding that not everyone might not be having a good time. You never know what someone might be going through. Even kind faces can have a sad story behind them. A smile can just be a mask to hide the pain and worry that might be flooding into their mind. I’m someone who you can describe as outgoing, invested, and overall trying to be as helpful as I can to others. I try my best to be as civil and as involved in any situation. Though there are days where I have to be the one wearing a mask and everytime I do, I feel like a hypocrite. It’s a tough act to follow, but I’ve gotten better over the years in hiding what goes through my mind. In this short animation, I wanted to show how quickly my mental well being can go from zero to a hundred in seconds, yet I maintain the same composure. The photo on the left is what goes on the outside. I’m always the same, static, and unfazed by what goes through my inner self. On the right, it’s my animation of myself and my inner struggle. In a moment I can be okay, but then I look at my outer self and realize all of my own flaws and failures that cycle through in my past and present. I get upset at my own hypocrite smile. Why? I am also a believer that we shouldn’t bottle anything, but sometimes it’s difficult to break a habit. I don’t want people to pity me, but to be aware that even the happiest people can be the saddest. And that it’s okay to be sad, it’ll pass. Sometimes it’s a fine line between breakfast or break down, but sometimes all we need is a simple break.
