Project Proposal/ Presentation Feedback Reflections

• General feedback: 
• Looking at weather 'Illustration is an effective way of educating people on mental health issues' is far too broad. 

• Based on the feedback:
• I am going to look at weather it can help instead of raising awareness, to see if illustration can do more than just telling people it exists.
• Mental health is also an umbrella term so I am going to focus specifically on anxiety and depression.
• I am going to stick with a student demographic and maybe also focus on men - male suicide and depression are massive in the media at the moment.
• A potential new question 'To what extent can illustration be used to help young (men/ people) with anxiety and depression?'

• Research to do next: 
• Research into anxiety and depression, what are the symptoms, what are the statistics - what have people tried to do about it?
• Read into the psychology, what treatment paths are there
• Look at illustrators who deal with it, how do they do this, in what way does their work help sufferers?
• Look at other platforms that deal with it - podcasts, indie magazines, websites
• Sad Ghost Club, My Favourite Murder, Drift, Mental Health Awareness Day
• Read articles and comments based on these platforms. Do people think that they are helpful?
• Which parts do people specifically find helpful?
• Look at campaigns targeted specifically at male mental health - how are they helping?
• Interview people - what do they think of this boom in the media? What have they come across that has been useful/ unhelpful? Show them works by illustrators, which are the most powerful to them and why?
• Look at the stigmas attached to mental health traditionally. What have people done to try and overcome them?
• Alternatively, I could instead of looking at weather illustration can be used to help young people with anxiety and depression actually look at the rise in coverage of mental health in the media and its impact on sufferers. 

• Practically: 
• I am totally unsure on the practical element!! I wanted a project that would allow me to create powerful perhaps controversial visual metaphors but if I continue down this path my work will end up having to be much more sensitive.
• If I wanted to go this route I would have to explore creativity and mental health or social media and mental health.
• I could propose a campaign based on my research or use it to craft some tshirt designs? They would have to send a subtle message, be desirable to young men and send their profits to charity.

I need to keep gathering lots of material, then after my tutorial next week I can see what interests me most and re-write my question/ start my practical research!