watercolor, color pencil, graphite, and newspaper;
16×20″ 
“Have we neglected them wrong? Who? Men. Men can convey stereotypically feminine feelings like sadness or vulnerability which are more socially acceptable for females. When men express their feelings they are looked down on and told “they are being less of a man”, weak or girlish. It’s crazy to think that we live in a society that says that one gender is allowed to have emotions while the other gender isn’t, even though we all have emotions. Because of this, men hide away their feelings and try to act “like a man”, leading to men struggling through their emotions and fighting their battles alone making them feel trapped and making decisions that can last for a lifetime. I decided to voice my opinion about this problem. I have seen my friends struggle with this problem, especially men. On the paper, you can see twelve people. Some look normal in watercolor, some look slightly off with colored pencils on their faces, and two people look at you. They look…frozen…in time. Seven out of twelve people are girls, showing that statistically females struggle more with mental health than men, but females are more likely to get help, unlike men. The men that are drawn in graphite have fought their battles and lost, making them make a final decision. In the background, you can see many newspapers that talk about mental health in men and demand a change.
So, why don’t we make that change today before it’s too late.”
ARTIST BIO: Jaylyn BYERS is a grade 11 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.