Growing up as a young carer had a huge impact on my mental health. It was a common occurrence for my struggles and feelings not to be taken into consideration, which caused me to feel almost invisible. I often found myself being unsuccessful when it came to looking for help and advice due to the sources online being very limited and outdated. I want to use my work to bring these issues to the world’s attention.

This project consists of 4 short stories highlighting some of the few things that I have had trouble with (even up until now at the age of 21) through text conversations with different acts of care in the background. These stories deal with topics such as missing out on normalised social outings and school activities, struggling with group projects and schoolwork, experiencing loneliness and isolation, and feeling misunderstood by others who may not fully grasp the demands of caregiving upon a caregiver’s social life.

My models are my sister and myself. However, I have kept this a faceless project as I wanted to portray how young carers feel they are not seen as their own person but as carers. The first 3 stories are photographed in black and white to eliminate any distractions, so the focus stays on the phone while still highlighting how young carers are not paid attention to often feel transparent. The last story is photographed in colour to show how the young carer is trying their best to be seen, but it has no effect.

This is the life of a young carer. This is my project. This is my story.