REFLECTION 1 : SOI feedback

On reflection to my feedback it is clear that looking at weather illustration can be effectively used to educate young people about mental health is far too broad. I would like to explore how much illustration can do to actually help past just raising awareness. Mental health is also an umbrella term so I am going to focus specifically on anxiety and depression. I am also going to stick with a student demographic and maybe focus specifically on how illustration can be used to help young men. Male suicide and depression have been massive in the media at the moment and I have seen it a lot myself. It would be interested to find out why and if there is anything I can do to help. My potential new research question could be ‘to what extent can illustration be used to help young men (/people?) suffering from anxiety and depression’?

In exploring this it would also be interesting to look at weather an illustration alone can actually spur change or if there is more to it. Does it need to be backed by a campaign? Do the materials used to make the illustrations and means of distribution need to be ethical/ support the cause? Does it need to raise money for a charity? Can creativity alone make a difference or do there need to be more people involved. Everyone in my research so far seems to think image making is simply the first step in spurring change. Going this direction also definitely suits my practical interest in exploring how art can be used to comment on and expose social issues.

In terms of ongoing theoretical research I am going to look more into anxiety and depression, the symptoms, statistics and what people have tried to do about it in the past. I am going to look at how artists have dealt with this topic and if sufferers find their work helpful. I am also going to look at how platforms deal with it – indie magazines, pod casts, websites and people’s comments on them. (Suggested: The Sad Ghost Club, My Favorite Murder, Drift) I am also going to look at past campaigns and the impact they have had. Finally, I want to interview people to see what they think of the media boom and if they have found anything helpful or unhelpful.

Practically, I am really unsure what route this work is going. Usually, I like looking at really controversial issues and using visual metaphors to create interesting contrasts and make comments. If I continue down this path my work will ultimately have to be much more sensitive. I’m not sure yet if this is a good or a bad thing but I know I am going to find it a challenge. However, I definitely want to use my work to test weather illustration alone can make a difference. It could be interesting to craft some sort of campaign based around my research or to explore the best way to reach young men with my message – fashion? For now I am going to focus on the theory to see where that takes me..