““Golden Wounds” is a 2D animated short film based on my experience of the challenges faced during and after recovery from mental illness. The one legged porcelain doll is slowly being cracked and broken during therapy as well as after leaving the hospital. This distortion of reality is represented in a minimalist and playful way in contrast with the realistic gold retracing her scars. The design of the character references two main ideas, body dysmorphia and balancing a “normal” life after being released to the world which is represented in the lava scene. The gold mending is inspired by Kintsugi, a Japanese technique they use for mending broken ceramic pieces back together. My take on it is to embrace the non-visible and visible scars of your past because that is what helped you grow into the person you are today. The cracks on her thigh are shaped like my physical scars from self-harm that I learned to expose and embrace with the help of my relationship with Christ. In the last scene, the gold mending stems from that small cross which references my Christian faith. The purpose of this piece is to bring awareness to the struggles of recovery as well as to open discussions about mental health and treatment. It is harder for one to heal from mental illness than to choose to live with it.”