By Jacquelyn Davis
I created "The Escape Room" fashion short film to humanize the conversation around mental health. I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a form of schizophrenia, at the age of 17. The stigma surrounding the illness inspired me to make visuals and give a Black face to a marginalized condition.
"The Escape Room" challenges the traditional standards of a beautiful life versus what makes a beautiful life as a person with a disability.
"Escape" represents comparison and the desire to be free from the body I live in, but I come to discover I'm free as I am. I hope people take away from "The Escape Room" that no life is greater than anyone else. We are all equal and should have the fundamental privileges of humanity.
I felt inspired by vivid imagery with a darker undertone, the Netflix television series "Bridgerton," several high fashion films, including Vivienne Westwood films, and the '80s.
Every piece of clothing came sustainably sourced and was then designed or redesigned by me.
The room or "set" took over 75 yards of tulle to decorate the space and almost three months to complete the film.
It was a one-woman show, and this was the most challenging short film I've ever created. I hope that when people watch the film, they see the condition of schizophrenia rather than just hearing about a world that they don't understand.
Jacquelyn Davis (she/her) is a content creator with schizoaffective disorder and multiple physical chronic illnesses. She uses multiple mediums of creativity to heal and inspire others to create. Jacquelyn is a singer-songwriter, author, filmmaker, and has fashion design skills. She has a YouTube channel focused on fashion tutorials, music, and mental health.
Jacquelyn's video featured in "This Is My Brave: Stories from The Black Community, was mentioned in articles on Thrive Global, and a local New York television station called BronxNetTV. She has a music single released called "All I Want Is U." Her clothing is on successful influencer accounts and videos.
Jacquelyn attributes her creativity and spirituality to keep her out of the psychiatric ward for 11 years. She has dedicated her time inspiring others to "get lost in creativity" and hopes to continue her work thriving amongst adversity. Currently, Jacquelyn is hoping to make more fashion films around mental health and disability awareness.