BY MIRANDA ILCHEF, LEAD WRITER (NSW)
Even before COVID-19 hit the Australian arts industry like a tsunami, there was a well-documented problem with mental ill-health among arts workers and performers. Job loss, isolation, huge changes to the way we work, and an uncertain future have only amplified the issue. Mental health experts predict that without preventative action, we could be facing a health epidemic of a different kind.
It’s the reason actor and singer Alex Rathgeber “felt compelled to do something to address the situation”. As a result, he created Sound Mind. Launched on World Mental Health Day, it’s a new initiative from the Arts Wellbeing Collective and Maker Productions.
“Sound Mind is a way of actively and artistically contributing to the creation of that safe space, where we can address our personal vulnerabilities, insecurities, and difficulties – and thereby feel a reduced sense of isolation, and a greater sense of common ground and shared experience,” Alex says.
In each episode of the six-part video series, we see small groups of industry professionals at the top of their field come together to create art from afar, and to have raw discussions about maintaining mental health through the pandemic.
Episode one, Embrace, introduces four fantastic female musicians (Jude Perl, Fem Belling, Alinta Chidzey, and Casey Donavan — in our featured image) who perform an uplifting song that compares how we present ourselves online with our lived experience. Episode two sees good friends Maggie McKenna and James Majoos sing a raw and emotional performance of Maggie’s own composition Tame.
As the series progresses, we meet showbiz veterans, experienced instrumentalists, dancers, and choreographers. And in the culminative episode Speak, we hear an arresting performance by Ben Mingay, Bert LaBonté and Sound Mind creator Alex Rathgeber; a sort of call to arms to speak out about mental health struggles.
“I’ve been blown away by how generous everyone’s been in giving so much of themselves to the project,” Alex says.
“It’d be easy to underestimate the amount of work involved in piecing each episode of the series together. But I experienced firsthand how much everyone went above and beyond with contributing their time and passion.”
The performances are all creative and meaningful in their own ways. However, it’s the open and honest discussions that followed when the performing personas were lifted that really caught my attention as a viewer. Watching through the series, it was refreshing and surprising to see that these well-established musicians were grappling with the same thoughts that I, a young music student, keep returning to: How long will this go on for? What will the next year be like? The next month? The next week? What will the arts industry look like when this is all over?
As Alex points out, one cannot forget the power of the internet to help us retain connection and sanity. Through Sound Mind, this is what we receive.
“Universally, it’s undeniable the internet can be fantastic for connection, learning, entertainment, escapism, and a whole lot more – it’s likely 2020 would’ve been a lot more of difficult for most of us without the internet.”
But there are downsides. The dangers of social media can feel accentuated when the digital world takes over our lives. The importance of not comparing yourself to others was brought up a number of times in the Sound Mind episodes – something I found resonated with me. It is harder now than ever to understand what really lies behind a person’s highly curated social media profile, given that more of our social interactions now occur through these mediums.
“I think we have to recognise that it is easy to fall down the figurative rabbit hole of the online world; to lose touch with reality and our real selves, to get swept up in online arguments, and to become preoccupied with projecting illusions of ourselves – the way we want others to perceive us, and even the way we want to perceive ourselves.”
A particularly encouraging and helpful element of the series was the way in which many of its participants spoke about using this time as an opportunity for personal development. And I don’t mean in the more stereotypically productive sense: in fact, most interviewees stressed the importance of being kind to yourself despite the pressure to create and achieve goals. Many reiterated that, sometimes, simply getting through the day is a big enough achievement in itself, which was a comforting sentiment coming from such accomplished artists.
Ultimately, as Alex summarises, this was a project that really reaches out to other artists and arts workers.
“I think we all have a role to play in making sure there’s a safe space held for one another to speak our truths in times of struggle,” Alex says.
“Arts workers have really been knocked badly by COVID-19, so we’ve got to do all we can now to look out for one another and get every member of our industry back on their feet.”
In this time of isolation and collapsed routines, we are forced to do what therapists and psychologists the world over have been begging us to do for years – to really sit with our thoughts without the distractions of everyday life.
Though this can be extremely uncomfortable, particularly when our thoughts as artists may be dark and riddled with fear, the self-growth and understanding that comes of this can be priceless. I believe the impact of this self-reflection on personal development could have beneficial impacts that last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. And I believe – even more so after watching Sound Mind – that as an industry, and as individuals, we will emerge from this challenge stronger and more prepared than ever before.
As Alex says, the Arts Wellbeing Collective is “responsible for kickstarting so many original programs and projects, which are providing truly life-saving support to individuals”.
“Their initiatives are addressing and alleviating mental health and wellbeing issues across so many areas of our industry. It’s essential stuff right now, and they have a lot on offer. I encourage anyone in need of support to head straight to their website.”
Head over to Sound Mind on the Arts Wellbeing Collective’s website to watch all six episodes and check out their other initiatives.
For mental health support, call Lifeline on 131114 or visit your GP.
Images supplied.
