REFLECTIONS ART IN HEALTH

“Sometimes during the last twelve years there have been days when all that I felt was displacement and failure:- the weight of losing employment, living with chronic ezcema and bi-polar disorder felt too much to cope with. Artistic activity has been for me, a distraction from mental stress, along with stimulation, learning and a route to making social contacts and volunteering in the Occupational Therapy Department. This has restored some of the purpose and importance that had been lost through having to abandon my teaching career.”

I am 40 and from Wolverhampton and a long time service user of local mental health services. Art and music has helped me so very much in life. It is an invaluable outlet for emotions and expression that is important to people like us. I am studying for a BA with the Open University which I hope will build upon my existing qualifications in psychology and counseling with the aim to some day be a therapist working with art and music. I always loved art and played guitar for many years but only become an artist in December 2008; something that has changed my life forever. My humble advice to anyone is to try art. It is a great way of expression and self exploration and is darn good fun too!

“I have always been into art, even as far back as I can remember I loved drawing, I could not live without it. Art to me is all about another reality, one which is more ‘real’ than our own. I have come a long way over the years, more recently my work is taking a distinct form, more personal than my early work, though my inspiration has always come from within.”

“I enjoy creating art – it is an important part of my life”.

“Art is calming. Once in the flow of creating a piece of art it makes me feel better about myself.”

“I want to inspire and give hope to others, that there is a future and a chance to move on from illness. I have come so far in the last couple of years having struggles with mental ill health for 13 years. I am much better than I was but life is still very much a struggle and I want people to understand the pain of mental ill health. The more we raise awareness, the more we can tackle the stigma that is there”