WHEN words aren’t enough, people turn to art for expression.
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That was the case for artist Janet Reid who suffered from a depression so dark she spent 18 months in isolation from the world until medical professionals and art therapy pulled her out.
“It was that total black hole depression where you can’t see a way out so you’re just on hold basically.
“I knew I didn’t want to die, I’d suffered similar depression episodes prior in my life so I knew that I could get better and I had always promised my children I would never kill myself, those were the rules that I had, and that was the only reason I survived.
“Six months down the track life’s fantastic and I never stop doing something, I never do things by halves and that’s been my modus operandi from when I was born,” Ms Reid said.
Currently on exhibition at the New England Regional Art Museum, Run With It has provided local people with an opportunity to create artworks that express their experiences with mental illness.
Program coordinator Ned McDowell said that he started the initiative after a four month struggle with a deep depression.
“I had mental health problems, a big whammy about five years ago where I lost four months of my life, didn’t leave the house, I wasn’t making any money, the electricity went, the telephone went.
“How I got through this was to start to create art, I could hardly speak and the paintings were a way to articulate the emotions that were inside which I didn’t really want to deal with,” he said.
Mr McDowell used to run outside in the middle of the night and paint the chimney on his house and the next evening he would paint it black again, a small triumph to get out the door.
“You start with anxiety and incrementally it builds and you don’t realise it’s getting worse and worse.
“Art is a great way to create conversation and for inclusion and support, I figured that I would make my terrible negative in mental health into a positive,” Mr McDowell said.
The program is funded by Accessible Arts, a group that receives funding through the Lifetime Care Support Authority and aims to help people with a disability or mental illness, family and carers to advance their career in art.
The classes were led by renowned Australian artist Ross Laurie and Mr McDowell taught the students about the important of marketing in an artist’s career.
Jenny Beattie, another artist on exhibition, had a major haemorrhage when she was 28 that left her disabled in a wheelchair and said that art got her out of isolation and helped her to form friendships.
“I always liked drawing when I was a kid and art just widens your social circle,” she said.
All of the works at the exhibition are on sale and half of the commission made by NERAM will go toward funding a similar project next year.
The exhibition ends on Sunday October 16 at NERAM.