presents the launch of a mental health resource
and informative online publication for students,
recent graduates, and emerging artists.
 

“Emerging Artist Wellness is run by artists, for artists. You are always welcome at Emerging Artist Wellness to find help, find friends, and find yourself.” Ruth-Anne Yiu, co-founder
 

Emerging Artist Wellness is an artist-run website, created by students from Humber College’s Arts Administration & Cultural Management program, that provides content and resources for the mental well-being of artists who are students, recent graduates, and/or beginning a career in the arts. This website will include articles and blog posts by professional artists and therapists, counseling resources targeted to artist-related mental health issues, an online art gallery, and a space to take a mental health break that provides art exercises and activities that are meant to reduce stress.
 
We turn to art for healing and expression, but what do artists deal with behind-the-scenes? Pursuing a career in the arts can be an arduous journey. The precarious nature of working as an artist, the lack of job opportunities, and the pressure to succeed can leave the artist anxious, depressed, and burnt out. Following graduation, it can be difficult to watch friends who have chosen stable careers start on a financially independent life, and even more difficult to find that you can no longer relate to them. Emerging Artist Wellness is creating a safe place for artists to express themselves, connect with others, share their stories, and seek help.
 
Judy T. Lui (M.Sc., CCC., R.P), founder and clinical director of Your Story Counselling Services, will be publishing an article on how to cope with burn-out culture as an artist. Her article centers on the experiences of Ruth-Anne Yiu, a local violinist, who has been grappling with the anxiety that comes with the use-it-or-lose-it mentality of playing an instrument, and the burn-out that comes from the pressure to always say yes. Lauren Polyak, a freelance writer and journalist, interviews an anonymous artist, about the ups and downs of a long artistic career and how he came to run a multimillion-dollar graphic design and marketing company. These and other informative and relatable articles will be published on www.emergingartistwellness.com on April 23, 2021.
 
The team at Emerging Artist Wellness has been in touch with therapists to create an extensive list of resources for artists to access. All of these therapists are comfortable with a range of mental challenges that artists commonly face, and most offer sliding scale fees. A list of public agencies’ contact information will be made available on our resources page.
 
Currently, submissions for the Mental Health Related Art Gallery are being accepted. This page will be a space to browse through art to find like-minded folk and experiences to relate to, gain inspiration, and/or simply browse as a way to decompress. Art in a variety of mediums such as paintings, drawings, photos of sculptures, music, videos of live performances, etc. are encouraged. Those who are interested in contributing their artwork should fill out this form.  The deadline to submit is April 19^th, 2021.
 
Emerging Artist Wellness is also offering the opportunity to share anonymous stories which highlight artists’ struggles with mental health in terms of their professional journey. This page is a space where emerging artists can come to read relatable stories and gain a sense of community and support. Our anonymous submission writers are given the opportunity to materialize their emotions by putting their experiences into words. Those who are interested in contributing their stories should fill out this form. The deadline to submit is April 19th, 2021.
 
Join Emerging Artist Wellness on Instagram @emergingartistwellness for a live launch event on April 24th at 11 am EDT. The one-hour Instagram Live event will consist of a yoga class led by yoga instructor and artist, Ivy Pan, followed by a live “Draw With Us” session led by Emerging Artist Wellness co-founder and artist, Carlie Mitchell.
 
 
The Emerging Wellness Website is set to launch on April 23^rd, 2021.
 
Website Link: www.emergingartistwellness.com
 
We are also accepting donations that will go toward helping us pay the mental health professionals and artists contributing content to the site: GoFundMe
 
Follow us on Instagram: @emergingartistwellness
 
For further information, please contact:
The Emerging Artist Wellness Team
Carlie Mitchell, Erica Ragozzino, Nelly Song, and Ruth-Anne Yiu.
emergingartistwellness@gmail.com