Tristan Ribera

I am a 24-year-old, male creative, who is still trying to figure out my calling in life. For years, I thought that was something I needed to know “right now”, like time was of the essence and if I didn’t meet some imaginary timeline I had set, my whole world would pass me by and I would be at the end of it and not have accomplished anything. I still feel that way at times, but I have learned to take things a little slower, take one day at a time, but all the while still planning ahead because I am a dreamer.

I was born in California, but at the age of one, we moved to Wyoming and then at the age of four, we moved to Wisconsin and I have been a non-conforming, non-Green Bay Packer fan, non-cheese-head resident ever since.

I have experienced emotion firsthand in my previous career as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) – working at the Fire Department for the better part of three years I experienced the joy of helping people, fear, pain, pride of a job well done, honor and even the unfortunate emotions of helplessness and death. My passion is to make people feel emotion, whether it is through video, gaming or through paper and pen. Emotion is something many think shows weakness. I personally think vulnerability makes you stronger.

My mom always called me, the “Protector of the Universe”. I was bullied as a child, so this made me inclined to gravitate to others who appeared to have some weakness or didn’t quite fit in and become their friend. I have a group of friends who have been my friends since grade school. I would say, they are “like” family – but, they “are” my family – we have a bond due to all the trials and tribulations we have all went through. I am the kind of man who when I say I will be there for you, I will.

I have been in love. Unfortunately, love hasn’t been so kind to me so far in life. However, I remain a hopeless romantic. You will see this in my spoken word poems. Maybe this will be one of the adventures we will go on together?

Mental Illness is an awareness I want the whole world to know the truth about. Although my goal of this site is simplicity – mental illness is complex. I know this because I suffer from ADHD, depression and anxiety at times. But, know this, I do not let it control my life. I am finally at a place where I control it and that is a great place to be and I want to tell others my story.