A short survey for arts practitioners reflecting on mental health
Using art as a form of therapy
“Artists as a profession are peculiar and susceptible to suicide. The solitary nature of their work and the consequent potential for disproportionate self-doubt represent a toxic combination. Oscar Kokoschka even claimed in 1923…. it as an Artistic privilege: My work contains everything […]
What has led to your taking on the identity of a socially-engaged interdisciplinary visual artist? It’s quite a loaded identity to have, isn’t it? I’ll do my best to break that down a bit! I’m your typical idealist; a dreamy […]
What a fantastic launch week! We officially launched last week along the Penistone Line and the reception of the publication has been amazing. Comments included: “You can tell a lot of work has been put into this.” “This is lovely.” […]
International Day of Happiness started off sunny and warm and was really a very happy day for me, and I think the rest of the Dwell Time team. We arrived at Huddersfield station for a press photo and a pinhole […]
We installed the Dwell Time boards at five stations along the Penistone Line today. These are art works which featured in the Dwell Time publication by Hannah Honeywill, Emilia Wilson, Richard Shields, Sue Gardiner and Dianne Murphy. If you’re commuting […]
We did the soundchecks back at our Penistone launch venue The White Heart today. Last time we were there the wifi was down so we were looking to hotspot one of our phones and skype call Anak in LA on […]
Last week we went to our Penistone venue The White Heart to do line checks in advance of our launch next week. On the way over we saw a double rainbow which reminded us of our late friend, who we’re […]
Dwell Time Launch 20th – 22nd March 2019 Huddersfield – Penistone – Sheffield Dwell time: The time a train spends at a scheduled stop without moving. Typically, this time is spent boarding or alighting passengers, but it may also be […]
I picked up our print proof today after prepping our press release over the last few days. Our launch is a month away and suddenly feels very soon. I guess because we instigated this project almost a full year ago […]
We’ve been flat out busy. We made our selection for the newspaper, laid it out and are preparing to send it to the printers on Monday with proofreading and final amends this week. It’s more like a booklet than a […]
In a new a-n Resources profile to coincide with Bobby Baker’s 14–18 NOW commission ‘Great & Tiny War’ – the run for which has just been extended – Lydia Ashman talks to the artist about her experiences of the mental health system and the need to address ‘transgenerational trauma’.
I went to The Other in Mother seminar yesterday about perinatal mental health and saw Sarah Greaves installation of manipulated objects representing diverse experiences of maternal transition. “Artist Sarah Greaves has been working with women who are recovering from postnatal […]
It’s World Suicide Prevention Day on Monday 10th September and we’re going on local radio to talk about Dwell Time. Vanessa and I set up Dwell Time in memory of our friend who took his life last year. He had […]
When artist and writer Alistair Gentry first shared his experiences of depression earlier this year it resulted in a flood of private feedback and led a-n to commission a series on artists and mental health for our Resources section. Drawing on the conversations he’s had with artists and arts workers, he argues for more openness about mental illness and wellness in the arts.
It’s hard to bounce back from rejection and keep going. Life and art practice is inevitably crap at times and coping strategies for the lows are helpful. I’ve been reflecting about this and think this is one of the many […]
Based on conversations with artists, Alistair Gentry reflects on the stigma that still exists around mental health, and discusses some of the coping strategies artists use in their work and careers when affected by mental health problems.
