1
Cailee Cunningham
Cailee Cunningham
“Hello, and welcome to the Mental Health Hotline.
If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.
If you are codependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.
If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5, and 6.
If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace your call.”
I first heard “Mental Health Hotline” remixed into a song, which inspired me to take a look at my own mental health issues with a sense of humor. More often than not, our mental health can feel like it defines us and puts us into a box. With this painting, I wanted to do just that, so that I could find humor in the caricature version of the serious mental conditions.