Mental Health for Creative Freelancers publication launches
DACS is delighted to support the launch of Mental Health for Creative Freelancers, a new publication which brings together the work of eleven UK-based artists.
Designed as a comforting yet practical guide to surviving the ups and downs of freelancing in the cultural sector, it’s the antithesis to the usual stark advice that can be found and provided elsewhere.
Mental Health for Creative Freelancers is a collection of 11 stories written by Edward Ross, each illustrated by a different artist in their own style. It tackles everyday challenges that will be familiar to anyone working freelance in creative fields, including money, rejection, imposter syndrome, working alone, performance anxiety and social media. The artists include Alez Assan, Norm Konyu, Jayde Perkin, Simone Lia, Zara Slattery, SK Schafer, Shazleen Khan, Joe Decie, Hannah Berry and Graham Johnson.
The project has been developed by Hannah Berry (Livestock, Adamtine, UK Comics Laureate 2019-20) and Graham Johnson (Radical Wellbeing) after Hannah ran the UK Comics Creator Survey. The Arts Council-funded investigation revealed that artists were struggling with their mental health, especially when it came to money, social media, competition and the effects of a global pandemic.
The anthology is based on the resource WORKING WELL: Mental Health and Creative Freelancers, originally created by the Association of Illustrators, Society of Authors and Association of Photographers. It is funded by Authors Awards and Advancement, Hawthornden Literary Retreat, Design and Authors Copyright Society, and Artquest.
Find out more
The comic can be downloaded for free and has been designed to be suitable for creative freelancers across many disciplines - visual arts, literature, theatre and more.If any institutions or organisations are interested in producing limited print versions of the resource on a non-profit basis for their members, students or graduates, they can email Hannah at contact@hannahberry.co.uk.
