Scottish Mental Health In The Arts Festival, Fruitmarket, Edinburgh
I was commissioned to design a workshop aimed at adults with experience of mental health issues, from diverse communities across Edinburgh. To tie in with the festival theme, we explored the concept of ‘revolution’ and ‘art as activism’. To support participants' mental health and wellbeing, the session offered an opportunity to learn new creative skills, build confidence and self-esteem, forge new connections, and share life experiences. To foster a welcoming, relaxed environment, a complimentary lunch of nourishing soup and seasonal apple cake was provided.
After careful consideration, I chose collage as our medium, for its accessibility to participants with varying levels of creative experience. Working on a small scale, each participant was given a blank A6 postcard to collage onto, with a wide variety of materials available for selection. Collage allows for immense creativity and self-expression, without the pressure of drawing an image from scratch. The resulting postcards were proudly displayed at the gallery throughout the festival month.
Following the exhibition, each participant's postcard was thoughtfully placed inside a beautiful envelope and mailed back to them, serving as a tangible reminder of their creative journey. Participants were made aware of this during the workshop, so that if they chose to, they could include an inspiring message for their future selves to receive.
