aside Editor’s Letter – Issue 2 – Mental Illness, Health and Recovery
Issue 2 – Mental Illness, health and recovery – ASLI MAGAZINE
It seems so long ago when we started our call for artists for Issue 2 of ASLI Magazine and what a success it has been. We were inundated with submissions from extremely talented creative people from all over the world. From visual artists, animators, musicians and creative writers as well as many more, we were overwhelmed by the openness of these creators in their struggles and recovery with mental illnesses. All use their art to either express their own mental health issues or are artists who use their creativity to help maintain a healthy mind.
We asked artists to submit under certain subjects regarding mental health, (click on each one to read articles):
Artist Louise Tomkinson at the ASLI Pop-Up Exhibition
Artist Jess Caudery
Janeen Rastall
Artist Chris Dean
Catherine Williams
Creative Writer Fara Johana Rasoanindrainy
Lisa Reeve ASLI Artistic Projects & Campaign Director at the Mental Illness, health and recovery pop-up exhibition.
Sophie Paulette Jupillat
Hannah Hilton
Eternal singularity 4 – By Mart Lloyd
Debs Carter
Poet Tim Evans
Artist Chris Webb
Artist Jana Charl
Joyce Savage, Make BPD Stigma-Free!
We have had amazing feedback from readers and from the contributing artists about issue 2. From artists telling us they have received recognition for their work because of ASLI Magazine or that they have now gained a wider audience, even leading to artists being discovered by other art publications and galleries. As well as messages from readers saying that due to reading a particular artist’s interview they now too wish to use art to create change for themselves and others. However the most rewarding of messages are from those who are struggling and in the middle of the throws of mental illness and who found our artists work and interviews inspiring, allowing them to feel less alone and continue in their recovery and survival.
During this campaign we have had a successful pop up exhibition, a swap shop and event, we are also sponsoring an exhibition on Suicide Awareness in Australia and I have been interview by The Pixel Project about ASLI’s work to highlight sexual violences and women’s survival stories as well as my own work to combat this issue through my art, (interview details to follow). We have gained more followers and welcomed another 35 artists to our ASLI family.
ASLI will continue to raise awareness about mental health and always welcome artists and creatives of all disciplines to get in touch and submit to us if you too are active in this cause or are an artist using your creativity to deal with your own mental illness.
More than half of us at ASLI suffer from mental health issues, ranging from mild to severe and this includes myself. This is why it is so close to our hearts.
So as Editor of ASLI Magazine I decided to contribute two paintings to this campaign, both paintings representing mental illness which I suffer from daily. To spread awareness and share my story with others.
Agoraphobia – By Charlotte Farhan Living with agoraphobia is like being a caged animal who fears its capture and environment. My mind passes back and forth and my panic increases with everyday that passes. Daily events round the world confirm the need to be locked away, for my own safety and sometimes others. On occasion certain parts of my mind wish to escape the confinement the agoraphobia has created, parts of my other illnesses such as my borderline personality disorder and psychotic depression bash their metaphorical heads against the bars of my prison. This illness is the child of my post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), from trauma comes anxiety and this ultimately changed my entire behaviour and personality.Losing my Identity – By Charlotte Farhan Losing My Identity is a depiction of the identity disturbance which people such as myself endure due to having Borderline Personality Disorder.
Here are some links to my work and art on this issue:
So we would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have participated, contributed, donated and followed us on our journey toward our missions goal, to create change!
As this campaign ends so another begins, in the next few days we will be releasing our next call for artist and launching our new campaign, which is Capitalism, Poverty and War.
In the field of ideas not involving productive activities it is easier to distinguish the division between material and spiritual necessity. For a long time man has been trying to free himself from alienation through culture and art. While he dies every day during the eight or more hours that he sells his labour, he comes to life afterwards in his spiritual activities. But this remedy bears the germs of the same sickness; it is as a solitary individual that he seeks communion with his environment.
Che Guevara
Make sure if you are interested in getting our call for artists that you are signed up to this magazine.
We also have lots of social media you can get involved in, we love it when artists share their stuff with us and we often share your work or even add it to our gallery on our website.
So why not get involved by using our hashtag #artsaveslivesintenational or tag us in your post.
‘Gaia Is Awake’, is based on a Shamanic Vision of the World around us being more alive than what we can currently perceive and understand. The living Universe.
Aborigine inspired Turtle Doodle – By Lynn Excell
The Healing Body Image Project
BPD Awareness
Hannah Hilton
Dave Hubble Photography by Jani Frank
Art by MistressLisa Taylor
Ethar Hamid
Your Words Cut So Deep – By Artist Emma Phillips
Sravanthi Juluri
The Planet’s Mental Illness – By John Ledger
Sravanthi Juluri
Misstresslisa’s Artworks at ASLI’S event and pop up exhibition to raise awareness about mental illness in Portsmouth, UK
Des Skordilis
Photography By Ethar Hamid
Sketch By Jess Caudery
Misstresslisa’s Artworks at ASLI’S event and pop up exhibition to raise awareness about mental illness in Portsmouth, UK
Storm – By Ildiko Nova
Artist Misstresslisa and her Artworks at ASLI’S event and pop up exhibition to raise awareness about mental illness in Portsmouth, UK
Artist Louise Tomkinson’s daughter Hope, an aspiring young artist
This precious mom of two is determined to show her two young children the way to a positive self image. “Everybody’s definition of personal beauty is different and individual, and that’s exactly how it should be,” says Claudia Keating. “I’m here because I want to challenge the cultural expectation of what is beautiful, to be part of the movement, and an ally to the movement, without forgetting that my shape and skin color and sexual identity afford me privileges that are not universal to women. We are beautiful and we do not need to fit neatly in a box. Hopefully, the next generation will figure that out earlier than I did.”
Art By Maz Fietz It’s ok to be broken… There’s no shame in speaking out…
‘Quarter of 2‘ By Jana Charl 2014 30.5 x 23 x 5cm Mixed media (pigment on metallic paper, acrylic on canvas, and found objects) My artwork is a reflection of art therapy related to insomnia and specifically tied to PTSD. The title is extracted from lyrics in an early Tom Waits album “Goin’ Down Slow.”
Artist Louise Tomkinson at the ASLI Pop-Up Exhibition
Artist Jade Bryant – works in progress
The Carnival By Sravanthi Juluri
Art By Louise Tomkinson My photographs depict a sequence of real life events, thoughts and feelings. A battle with depression, and the emotions that come with this illness but also the recovery. The emphasis is that you can find a way forward.
From our local pop up exhibition for mental health awareness ‘Manic battle with your Environment’ By Christopher Webb Oil on canvas
Artist Sandra Mendelsohn
Agoraphobia – By Charlotte Farhan Living with agoraphobia is like being a caged animal who fears its capture and environment. My mind passes back and forth and my panic increases with everyday that passes. Daily events round the world confirm the need to be locked away, for my own safety and sometimes others. On occasion certain parts of my mind wish to escape the confinement the agoraphobia has created, parts of my other illnesses such as my borderline personality disorder and psychotic depression bash their metaphorical heads against the bars of my prison. This illness is the child of my post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), from trauma comes anxiety and this ultimately changed my entire behaviour and personality.
CITY OF PORTSMOUTH – By Christopher Webb INK & WATERCOLOUR
Losing my Identity – By Charlotte Farhan Losing My Identity is a depiction of the identity disturbance which people such as myself endure due to having Borderline Personality Disorder.
The Rose Garden – By Lisa Reeve
From our local pop up exhibition for mental health awareness ‘Manic battle with your Journey’ By Christopher Webb Oil on canvas
‘Protector’ – By Jade Bryant It essentially shows how both the BPD (left side) and the ASPD (right side) work in coexistence with each other, but that isn’t a bad thing. The ASPD often protects the BPD side when things get too overwhelming, which has brought me back from suicide various times, if i didn’t have that side to me, I really don’t think i’d be here. The arm wrapping around the BPD side shows protection. Though the eyes are different, the BPD has green and blue colours to represent the innocence of feelings to an extent and the most predominant emotions I struggle with in a BPD crises, which are depression, lonliness and helplessness followed by me realizing how I have acted and becoming overly emotional, the pupil of that eye is multicoloured to represent the spectrum of emotion. Whereas the other ASPD eye is red, and orange with striking yellow to signify the most dominant emotions and feelings i get from that side of me, which are confidence, boldness, sometimes coldness and distance, but independence and adaptability. The mouths are different also, on the BPD side to represent shock, and dissociation, a frozen sort of expression, wanting help but not knowing how to ask for it. Whereas the ASPD side is more of a devilish smile because it represents how it can often be sneaky, cunning and manipulative, but also lustful and playful and strong.
Issue 2 – Mental Illness, health and recovery – ASLI MAGAZINE
ASLI MAGAZINE - creating change 