It's All In Your Head

by Shawn Coss

Genres: Psychology, Art, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Mental Illness

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Hi, if you're looking for Shawn Cross, that's another guy who definitely doesn't do the art I do. At least I don't think. But anyways, I'm a dark art artist from Ohio. I've been working at my craft professionally for 9 years as an independent artist as well as an artist for the widely popular webcomic series, Cyanide & Happiness. I'm also a co-owner and artist for Ohio based lifestyle brand, Any Means Necessary clothing.

Though I've been known for my association with Cyanide & Happiness, in 2016 I created the mental health series, Inktober Illness, as part of the annual Inktober series which completely altered my art direction to focus more on artwork that helps create a conversation on mental health. My art has been all over the internet and bodies of many fans and it's still spreading. It's been life changing to say the least that an artist from Ohio is able to connect with so many who feel like they don't have a voice.

Reviews

[ꪖꪶꫀ᥊ⅈડ ꪆৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilling take on mental illness with beautifuly haunting illustrations!

[Caroline Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, though don’t use the descriptions to try to understand any of the disorders. It was a bit annoying to me that the author would personally relate to so many of the disorders even though he didn’t have them. He’d say things like “maybe I have this.” Also he talks about harassing someone with trypophobia with a surprise picture, which I did not find funny as someone with trypophobia. It is a real fear, not a joke.

[Airotciv · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love the concept, but the artwork which is 75 percent of the book simply does not appeal to me. The style is very Tim Burton like, and I really can’t stand that. I wish someone with a different art style would do this exact same thing. I will keep it as a reference book, because the subject is something that I am very passionate about.

I pre ordered the 2nd edition and waited months for it. While it’s not exactly [crap], unless you’re a fan of ghoulish stick figures it’s just not worth getting.

[Lynette Ackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Shawn Coss’s artwork! I’ve purchased several of his prints, and without fail will just stop and stare at them… often noticing something new each time.

So no surprise I loved his book. My only (very minor) wish was that there had been better proofreading of the text portion. My brain balked at some very small type-o’s etc. Because that’s part of how MY brain works.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning artwork. I really appreciate how each image had a correlating caption discussing the NIMH definitions/attributes, personal stories of his fans/followers, or simply the inspiration behind the image. Deeply haunting book, in the best of ways.

[Maddie Blondeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated, haunting book is one man's interpretation of mental health issues. I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with their mental health, or even if you are just naturally an anxious person (like me). As soon as it arrived in the mail I started thumbing through the pages and ended up reading it from cover to cover in one sitting.
SUCH a unique perspective and a beautiful way to view the world in a different way. Pick your copy up asap! You won't regret it.

[Brian Darmstadt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man. Coss is such a good artist. I'm someone who's fairly open with my struggles with ADHD, OCD, anxiety and depression but sometimes it's genuinely hard to describe what you're feeling when you're dealing with the stuff you're dealing with. Coss just nails it on the head. Highly recommend this book.

[David W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The lurid drawings within are intended to "raise awareness and build understanding," according to the artist. Unfortunately, the book leaves me with little of either.

The artist's drawings depict those who suffer from mental illness in lavishly gory detail. Therein lies the key problem with this work -- the artist is not drawing the demons that infect sufferer's minds, but rather he depicts the victim *as* the demon. With an unsympathetic hand, the artist draws those who bear the wounds of mental illness as horrific monstrosities. These individuals are not affected by mental illness; the mental illness defines their existence.

Page after page of seeing people depicted as monsters, eventually a numbness sets in, and I feel like I'm being invited to gawk at them, as though this were a 19th-century circus freak show. I am asked to be titillated and repulsed by subjects exploited in this tawdry exhibition.

The comparison to the freak show becomes blatant when the images move on to examining rare phobias, phobias the artist admits they know little about. We're welcomed to leer at illustrations of people with Emetophibia (fear of vomiting), Verbophobia (fear of words), and Epistemopobia (fear of knowledge). The artist confesses their own fetishism describing the illustration for Apotemnophobia, a phobia for amputation or of people with amputations, "While studying this phobia, I discovered I didn't really have a fear of amputees, but rather an odd fascination."

Such distortion and objectification of people who suffer is the pervasive flaw of this work.

With the callous illustration of Autism Spectrum Disorder, a child that is simultaneously ghastly and pathetic, the artist reveals that such negative criticism has been clearly received. And then promptly discarded. Gaslighting the viewer, the artist instructs us to instead "understand the intended meaning" rather than see the blatantly negative portrayal of ASD with our own eyes. They double down, saying that though critics have pointed out the unkindness of this ASD illustration, the artist affirms "this piece is my favorite among many."

So much for awareness and understanding.

In the end, this book reveals little about people who suffer from different illnesses. Perhaps it is merely a window into the soul of an individual artist, one desperately using their art as a mechanism to gain awareness and understanding of what's going on in their own mind. Looking at people who grapple with their own challenges, through the artist's lens, they see these people as grotesque effigies. I hope the artist sees themself in a more generous light.

[Siobhan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much more a series of pieces of artwork than a written-word book, though some do include explanations from the artist about their own experience or perception of the mental health experiences depicted. Many of them are both harrowing & beautiful, but I would caution that this contains a lot of deeply sensitive and potentially traumatic imagery, particularly relating to a wide range of phobias and mental health conditions.

I personally really love these depictions, and found those I have personal experience of to be an effective & emotive portrayal of some of my own experiences - however, I appreciate it may not reflect everyone's experiences, and the artist does acknowledge that at the start of the book. I also want to highlight the author's own reminder that they are approaching this from an artistic perspective, not that of a mental health professional, so this is more about appreciating dark & evocative art that may only reflect some people's lived experiences.

(If it is of use to know, I have read the "2nd Dose Edition" of this book)

[Mariah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find this book to be insensitive to those with the mental illnesses included, and the author is not a mental health professional so it is not a book one should use to learn about these conditions. Furthermore, someone who does not experience a specific mental disorder personally, doesn’t have any business drawing visual representations of it for profit. I have several of the disorders in the book and I don’t like how the visuals imply that there are monsters inside of those of us with these conditions. Yes, it is hard and painful to have a mental illness but we don’t have scary demons inside of us, we are traumatized and/or abused children that have grown up, our brains created coping mechanisms to survive the environments we grew up in.

[Phenix Alessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork in this book is breathtaking. Shawn Coss has a rare ability to capture the rawness of mental and emotional struggle through haunting, unforgettable illustrations. As an art book, it’s brilliant and worth having on your shelf for the visuals alone.

Where it falls short is in its delivery around mental health diagnoses. Despite the way it’s framed, this is not a resource for clinical insight or understanding, and nothing here should be used for diagnosis. The heavy self-disclosure from the author often felt overwhelming, even to the point of distraction.

If you’re seeking powerful art, this book delivers. If you’re looking for meaningful or accurate commentary on mental health conditions, it does not.

[Resonant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I got it for my birthday and have been going through it and decided to finish it today. The pictures are so beautifully dark. The art really is stunning. But you have to be mentally ok to go into it because it does go into the subjects of depression, anxiety, self-harm, substance abuses, SA ect. But alot of it is very relatable for anyone who has dark thoughts, or who has dealt with a dark past or struggles with trauma.
I recommend this book very highly for anyone who loves this kind of content.

[Vampyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an emotional rollercoaster for those of us who have ever been diagnosed with any mental health illnesses. What Shawn has done with this book no other person in history ever has. Through his art, he humanizes the demons many of us face daily. He uses his real world experience with his talent to depict and describe these afflictions. I was very moved by the specific ones that I have been diagnosed with. So grateful for my autographed copy.

[Sheri M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the second edition and I love it. The book is gorgeous, hardcover with excellent quality. I'd seen images of his art over the last couple of years and when I saw he had a book I had to get it. As someone who lives with more than one diagnosis I can tell you at least three of them are spot-on.

[Nick Kondyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing illustrations. The artist is multitalented and there’s no way he relates to all those mental illnesses also you can tell he’s ignorant to a lot of them (i.e. agoraphobia, some descriptions just plain off base) but I like how he pulled in NIH and truly tried to use Inktober as an empathy experiment to see himself in a lot of it and that’s part of what makes it so incredible.

[Lorie LovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book showing what mental health feels like through art. I loved the black and white contrast. I found my issue in this book which surprised me because it's not often mentioned along with other mental health issues. Very beautiful art, and the explanations added to the beauty.

[Peyton Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, his art is truly amazing and perfectly captures the struggles of mental illness.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique perspective and/or interpretation related to mental health issues. I am all about the artwork in this book.

[Laila Fuqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt very seen and represented with Shawn’s beautiful work. I really enjoyed every page and piece.

[Briar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hauntingly beautiful.

[Strega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing drawings and so very apropos

[Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this one mostly in hopes I might use it for clients, to see if the art might inspire some thoughts and provide some forward traction.

A damn fine book.

[April Pancher · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I have is......WOW.

[Maria White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love it

[Katelyn Maimone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the artwork depicted for each disorder. very different. I also like how he gave both the dsm definition and his relation to the disorder

[Liz Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

no spoilers

[Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful dark art and great description. I'm so glad a came across this book while scrolling Facebook.

[Abby Mace · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading so many positive things about this book I was expecting more.
I thought there would be a bit more writing along with the artwork. It’s mostly art with 1-3 paragraphs, with the first paragraph being directly from National Institute of Mental Health.
Seems he only focused on the drawings and not any of the writing. Someone else should have done the writing for this book. The art is unique and fantastic but that’s it more than half of the illnesses don’t have any write up so you have to google them yourself.

[Robert Hultman · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I have the “2nd Dose” second edition HC.) This book is incredible and builds wonderfully Sawn’s depictions of mental illness. More of this sort of thing needs to exist. By any means necessary.