[button url=”http://heartheroes.org/the-red-series-gallery” class=”button” size=”small” color=”red-2″ target=”_self” lightbox_content=”” lightbox_description=””] Click to view The Red Series [/button]
written by Devan Neilsen
Art is a big part of my life. Whether if it’s collecting it or creating my own, art moves me in a way not many other things do. I really gained an interest in photography when I took a class during high school. From then on, as my gallery kept growing, my skills, knowledge and passion for photography also grew. After my husband and I got married and after our first son was born, my photography mainly focused on close friends and family life. Family is everything to me.
When we found out our second son’s life was threatened while in the womb with a congenital heart defect, we broke. We were broken. Our baby was born against all odds, and even until this day after two open-heart surgeries with his third one on the way, his days are undetermined. During every conversation with a team of doctors, all I could see was red. Historically, when traumatic events occur in people’s lives they see black. But I saw red. Every time I heard the word heart, I saw red.
During this past year, I realized that I process trauma through art: visually and audibly. Seeing what other photographers and artists have created concerning the heart helped me cope. They helped me come to terms with my baby’s condition and become strong enough for him. My experience of life and coping through art has inspired me to create, The Red Series. I have become a part of the zipper club without volunteering. I am a heart mom. I hope whenever someone sees my photography through The Red Series, they are also moved and know that they are not alone.
Devan is a photographer out of Arizona. She is also a recent advocate for raising awareness for Congenital Heart Defects, after her son Ryker’s CHD diagnosis of Ebstein’s Anomaly, Ebstein’s Anomaly, Pulmonary Artresia, Tricuspid Dysplasia, and Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). Please follow her blog at nielsenphotos.tumblr.com and view The Red Series and other works on Devan’s website: nielsen-photos.com.