Crazy by Design

 

Diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), commonly known as multiple personality disorder, at the age of 36, Anderson, managed her internal chaos by doodling, painting, writing, struggling to understand what she was experiencing. Early childhood trauma fractured her mind into several individual identities. By the age of ten, she held within her several witnesses, her “peeps”, each with individual perspectives and motives.

 

Donna faked normality while believing she was insane or schizophrenic. She did well in school, was an athlete, cheerleader, and a production member in Drama and Dance, all while contending with the voices in her head. Struggling with self identity is difficult for a teenager; for Anderson DID made it nearly impossible. She had difficulty sustaining relationships, often found herself in dangerous situations without recollection of the events, and began to get drawn into the LA drug culture.

Anderson fled Southern California and flowed to the Delta, married, and had two children. The man she married became abusive; she divorced, struck out on her own with two children and once again began wrestling with her identity. 

 

Over a year later, she met Christopher. He became aware over time that there was something happening far below her consciousness that needed to be addressed. His love, support and empathy gave her the courage she needed to face her past and start the healing process. Donna met with a psychologist, was diagnosed and started counseling sessions; she was on the path to recovery.

 

“I opened up even more when I had a name for what was happening.” Creating and sharing art were tools for healing; art kept my sanity." Paper ripping, which had once been a self-soothing mechanism in childhood, became collage art. Haunting internal images manifested themselves in acrylic paintings and digital art, fear of knives and sharp instruments became a lesson in facing demons as she scratched and gouged at clay board creating intricately etched black and white images. Instead of struggling with DID, she is embracing it, using it for inspiration. “I was made this way. With no conscious thought, my mind did what it had to do to carry on. I am crazy by design.”

Donna Anderson grew up in Burbank California. She comes from a long line of performing artists including silent film actor, Duke R. Lee, vaudevillians, Tom Mix Circus performers, a screenwriter, a casting coordinator, and a host of clowns. She is the first to venture into the visual arts. Anderson lives with her husband Christopher in Walnut Grove, California.