Martina’ Story
With the onset of puberty and the sprouting pimples on my skin, I began to scratch myself and squeeze out all the pimples, although only on a small scale at first. But eventually more and more.
What I did not know at the time is that this was the beginning of a disease that at that time had no name and was not considered dangerous or problematic.
Today I know I suffer from impulse-control disorder (ICD) - a class of psychiatric disorders characterized by impulsivity – failure to resist a temptation, an urge, or an impulse.
My back is scarred, as are my arms and my cleavage. If I get a pimple, I have to ‘fix’ it on the spot. It becomes infected and a vicious circle begins. The inflammation festers and I fumble around until only a scar remains. Sometimes I don't notice when I'm scratching myself. This mostly happens when I'm nervous, scared, or stressed. I used to get up in the middle of the night to "remove" something from my face.
I currently have my disorder under control. I regularly cut my fingernails so I don't have any "tools" to scratch myself with, avoid mirrors most of the day so I can't spot anything on my face, and take care of my skin by caressing it instead of scratching it.
David's concept of the Kintsugi Project was a great idea to take on the scars and deal with my problem. The golden dots on my skin underlined my individuality and made my skin a work of art. A work of art that you want to look at. It is important to me that we are good to our body and acknowledge it as such - despite scars and blemishes. The Kintsugi project is exactly the right thing to convey to the viewer that we are all beautiful.