About a decade ago, I got intrigued by a private interplanetary mission that promised humans a new beginning on Mars. Of the 200,000 applicants, 10 would-be colonizers made it to the final round. Wanting to understand the reason behind their desire to leave Earth, I started watching the finalists’ interviews with various news outlets. The impetus for this exodus came down to two things: a lack of love and connection these prospective voyagers felt here on Earth, and a desire to leave their unresolved traumas behind. 

As someone who dealt with depression and anxiety in my 20s, I knew of this urge to escape well. I also knew that no type of external flight was the solution to internal turmoil. My search for answers and my journey of healing was extensive; it cost time, money, and a lot of work. Would moving to a different planet and starting fresh have expedited and simplified this process? 

In a society that offers us more forms of therapy than we can name, it’s easy to become obsessed with the idea of healing and to heavily rely on others for our mental wellness. But when do we realize that the all-consuming desire to fix ourselves can become an anxiety in and of itself? When do we pause and look inward? These are some of the questions I wanted to explore by creating Dorion, an imaginary world that is not too different from home, but only too far away.