Mike Hedrick (he/him/his)

Frederick, MD

“I make art because it takes me out of my worries and it gives me something to focus on. I make art because it gives me a spark and a flow that I can’t find elsewhere.”

 Michael Hedrick is a photographer and writer who has used his art as a grounding point throughout some of his greatest challenges. He explains: “I was diagnosed schizophrenic when I was twenty and art and writing were the only things I could hold on to. When everything in my mind was confusing and wild I could write them down and somehow get a handle on it or get it out. I write because it’s a vent and I take photos because I’m trying to illustrate how I feel.”

Michael’s photography is a way for him to understand and share his experience of what he describes as a primarily solitary life. “Often in my life, I feel kind of separate and solitary so my photography has very few people in it. My images can tend to be dark and grand. They make me feel as if I’m the only person walking these places on earth and I like that feeling.”

Michael enjoys working with contrast as an artistic technique as well as a metaphor for both the light and darkness present in his life experience. “I like contrast, I feel like my work aims for an edge that portrays the dark and solitary parts of life as valuable and prominent. My photography has kind of a dark tone, it's pretty void of human interaction but the images show the beauty in their starkness and solitude. Photography is my zen, it's my therapy and it's a way for me to express myself without feeling like somebody's watching me.”

Through his participation in ArtLifting, Michael hopes to earn a regular income to be able to move out of section 8 housing, to support himself financially, and see a private psychiatrist.