Duel Diagnosis
Duel Diagnosis began with a conversation. In fact, the conversation had nothing to do with starting a movement. It was just a conversation between Dave and PADHiA, two friends who failed to shave their jagged edges off and fit in somewhere “normal”. And… all the weird, challenging, and also beautiful feelz that go along with that. The isolation, the disconnect, the inspiration, the gratitude, the shame, and the great humor- as our realities are so beyond our own imagination that it requires the injection of at least one familiar human instinct to be comprehendible.
We believe you are one of us.
And there are others like us who will come into the light as we become more visible.
How did it come about? In 2018 Dave Navarro started channeling his activism and creativity into street art. Street art is a massive part of the urban landscape and culture in Los Angeles and a powerful way to put forth messages to inspire thought and social change. As a part of this new circle, Dave began to connect with many artists. He met PADHiA when he saw one of her Love Me Anyways pieces and reached out. People who relate to that phrase become fast friends, which is exactly what happened. But it wasn’t a typical friendship as they both struggle with PTSD and its varietal circus of mental health effects. Despite enduring long periods of isolation, times of complete darkness due to triggers, and the continual struggle to remain upright on the tightrope act that is navigating life under these circumstances…they somehow managed to maintain a bizarre, beautiful, super ultra-connected yet disconnected friendship.
And so, this project was born from a conversation about this very thing. The conversation turned into “We should make a shirt”. Then it turned into we should start a unifying movement for others who feel "different" and use the shirts to spread the message.