In a culture where conversations surrounding mental health are (rightly) gaining momentum and importance, creative minds from various corners of the world have harnessed their talents and brought some light into the darkest corners of our collective psyche.
Here at Creativepool, we offer a platform for creatives from all walks of life to share the work that really matters to them and let their peers see what they have to offer the world. Today, I’ve taken a deep dive into our archive to retrieve some of the most insightful, poignant, and approachable creative ideas that find the intersection of art and mental health.
Zara Picken – Bulletin/Dysphagia and Mental Health
Zara was commissioned to create a series of illustrations for Bulletin magazine, the official publication for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT). These illustrations were used as a cover/opener and across spreads for a feature about dysphagia and mental health.
Dysphagia is the medical term for swallowing difficulties, which can lead to choking. It is prevalent among adults with mental health conditions, especially in psychiatric settings. However, there is a widespread lack of awareness of this and dysphagia needs can be ‘overshadowed’ by a mental health diagnosis.
Alice Halstead – Mental Health Motorbike
Mental Health Motorbike is a charity that offers mental health support to motorcyclists across the UK. Set up in memory of Dale Caffrey, the charity is aimed specifically at bikers who typically bottle up emotions and their struggles. Their aim is to prevent suicides across the country by creating a network of mental health first aiders at local bike garages, cafes, dealers etc, who can be reached in times of need.
Anattic created a short promotional advert for the charity in partnership with Triumph UK and Bennetts Insurance to help promote their message and spread awareness of their work. Directed by James Copson, the commercial captures a man stuck in a dark place, unable to find the motivation to move and get on with life. Endlessly scrolling through social media, he finds an ad for MHM and makes the difficult decision to reach out. Back with his bike, he is able to gain a clear head on the open road and reconnect with the world before meeting a mental health first aider for support.
Gavin Sherratt – Chaing the Stigma’s Hub of Hope
Mental health charity Chasing the Stigma (CTS) teamed up with Mashbo (where Gavin works as MD) to create a digital platform that brings grassroots and national mental health services together in one place so that - using the location of the web browser or mobile device - anyone, anywhere can find the nearest source of support for any mental health issue, from depression and anxiety to PTSD and suicidal thoughts.
The web app was developed in conjunction with CTS's founder, Jake Mills, a suicide survivor who has experienced depression and loneliness first hand. The target audience and strategy behind the Hub of Hope has no restrictions on age, gender, sexuality, or location - making it easier for people to find the right mental health support for them.
Peter Higgins – Chatch a Fire / Mental Health Awareness Week
The NHS states that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience some form of mental health problem yearly. That got the team at Catch a Fire thinking. There are roughly 1,704 residents in Lamberhurst, the closest village to where they’re based. This meant that there could 426 people suffering around us right now, who may need help and don’t know it’s out here.
The team wanted to try and make people smile with simple, joyful handwritten messages from the heart. They reached out to a local mental health service, Mental Health Resource, to partner with them to deliver the messages with additional support they could contact.
Daniel Portuga – The Blank Post
The Blank Post project is not a regular case. Courageously, Daniel decided to open up about his own struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and share his crisis with the world, in real-time. This true story has been transformed into a social tool based on a genuine experiment.
The Blank Post project is still underway, but it has already received more than 100 thousand website views from six different countries – including US, UK, Brazil and Singapore – in a short amount of time. As a result, nine companies are joining the effort and supporting the Blank Post project to help and heal people suffering from anxiety.
