Introduction to Theresa Fortune’s Journey
Oakland – we cannot always choose the name we wear, but sometimes when you are lucky you grow into it. Theresa Fortune finally became hers on a calm morning in May, when she worked over her latest masterpiece.
A Masterpiece of Life and Love
"This piece is all about life, love, joy, opportunity and color," said Fortune. All of these things feel particularly true on this day because their first great work of art should be revealed.
Overcoming Darkness
Ten years ago, Fortune was bankrupt, pregnant and literally and figuratively in a pit hole from which she couldn’t climb. "I had actually thought about taking my life at one point because I was only in this pit hole from which I couldn’t climb," she said. The darkness always leaned until one day she picked up a knife. "I thought of opening my wrists and I realized that this would be really messy for my child to come home," she said.
Finding Strength in Creativity
What she didn’t know at the time was that after the birth of depression she was opposite, a disease that affects twice as many women with color and is still rarely spoken. So she grabbed a camera and told her history in a documentary with the title "From the Ashes" and then in a collage called "Womban of the Earth", which shows a black mother in the middle of the birth.
Recognition and Inspiration
It was raw, honestly and noticed by Dante Green, a senior Vice President. "It was very inspiring for me and it is a story that we should continue to tell," said Green, who brings us to unveil. The piece is now being hung in Oakland. A journey that started with a birth has now become a love work. "To work with them, I only have more hope," she said.
Mental Health Support
If you or your relatives have problems with mental health, call the national suicide prevention by choosing 988.