11 stories tackling the everyday mental health challenges of creative freelancers
Mental Health for Creative Freelancers is the antithesis to run-of-the-mill mental health advice. It is designed as a practical guide to surviving the common mental health challenges faced by freelancers in the cultural sector.
This wellbeing-focused comic for creatives was written by Edward Ross and designed by 11 comic creators. Mental Health for Creative Freelancers is available as a free digital download.
Each story is illustrated by a different artist in their own style. The subjects it covers include money, rejection, imposter syndrome, working alone, performance anxiety and social media.
The project was developed by Hannah Berry (Livestock, Adamtine, UK Comics Laureate 2019-20) and Graham Johnson (Radical Wellbeing) after Hannah ran the UK Comics Creator Survey. The Arts Council-funded investigation revealed that creators were struggling with their mental health, especially when it came to money, social media, competition and the effects of a global pandemic. Mental health professional Dr Beverley Flint consulted during the scripting process to ensure the advice is useful and reliable. Edward Ross created the characters and situations for the artists to bring to life. Woodrow Phoenix edited and art directed the book to produce a publication with a focused and accessible voice.
Throughout the project, Hannah and Graham worked to ensure that the cross-section of the creative industry and the diversity of artists was represented, as well as the pressing issues highlighted by the comic. Many of the comics creators in this anthology are also required to navigate extra obstacles in their careers through being disabled, neurodiverse, queer, trans, and/or from a global majority background.
Featured artists:
- Money – Alex Assan
- Imposter Syndrome – Shazleen Khan
- Rejection – Graham Johnson
- Social Media – Jayde Perkin
- Working Alone – Simone Lia
- Work Life Balance – Joe Decie
- Feeling Overwhelmed – Hannah Berry
- Creativity and Emotion – Zara Slattery
- Performance Anxiety – SK Schäfer
- Creative Block – Norm Konyu
- Working Through a Crisis – Jules Scheele
Supported by Artquest, DACS, Authors’ Awards and Advancement, The Society of Authors, The Association of Illustrators and The Association of Photographers.
This work has a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike License