Shawn Coss: An Artist that Stings to Heal - Illustrating the Struggle with Mental Illness

 Sensitivity Warning – The images may be uncomfortable to some readers. This post discusses mental illness as depicted through the emotionally intense horror lens of the artist. I chose some of his tamest works, but there are illustrations that may unsettle some, so please be cautious.

Makoto Fujimura in Culture Care writes,  

“Artists are like bees. Artists sting, or at least have a reputation that they sting... [they] are curious creatures...checking out crevices to seek out beauty in unexpected places.”  

This metaphor captures the paradox of artists who create beauty that unsettles us. A few artists embody this, and one who dances that tension beautifully is Shawn Coss.  

 

Coss is a visual artist whose work centers around exploring mental illness through horror-inspired ink illustrations. He has a few collections titled “It's All In Your Head” and “Inktober Mental Illness,” where he depicts disorders like anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia as grotesque, disproportioned, shadowy figures. These images, reminiscent of Tim Burton’s unsettling style but taken to a further degree, are not meant to be soothing and easy to look at. They are meant to confront the viewer with the depth of emotion tied to his art. Like bees, Coss uses his art to pollinate awareness, but it stings people who would rather not confront this reality. It is hard to look at. His visuals are difficult to digest and visceral in their imagery. He uses gore and sharpness to fully deliver the weight of the topics at hand. But for some, this is a source of comfort. Evidence that there is someone who understands what they are going through and gives it form.  

 

    His creative process is deeply intertwined with how he feels, and not an image of how he would like the image to come out. Coss’s idea generation comes from his personal experience struggling with mental health and translates that into very raw and vulnerable images. His art does not sanitize the struggle of mental illness but gives it a physical form. His use of body horror and greyscale with minimal colors is not unwarranted; It's a way of expressing empathy to those of us who feel monstrous and different inside. Coss shows his nature as a “curious creature” in this way, exploring the twists and turns of the mind to find a tragic beauty in the broken or out of the ordinary.  

 

    What Fujimura mentions about artists not intending to sting but rather being “intuitive explorers” rings true here. Coss does not aim to provoke just for its own sake. The sting stems from protection, to defend the vulnerable, to challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness. Fujimura mentions that he had learned that bees die when they sting, giving a whole other layer to the exchange. The sting that Coss delivers stems from something deep within him. He senses cultural fears surrounding mental illness and illustrates their truth. His art is honey and venom: nourishing those who feel reflected in his art and unsettling those who ignore it or do not understand.  

    It's important to note that this is not a message that claims ALL mental illness is experienced the same. Cross illustrates the most harrowing aspects of psychological struggle, drawn through his own personal lens. Rather than offering a universal depiction, Coss visualizes the internal chaos some may face, inviting empathy and not generalization. His art is a window into one kind of suffering, not a map of all kinds.

    The world is unfair to those who struggle, demanding silence from the suffering. Coss demands visibility and vulnerability. He is the bee in the hive of culture that Fujimura highlights: pollinating care, defending the truth and the vulnerable, and creating something that those who are suffering in various ways can find beautiful.