Life on My Terms
Art Exhibition & Auction
During Mental Health Awareness Week 2024, Lundbeck hosted the Life on My Terms – Art Exhibition & Auction in partnership with Studio Upstairs, an art and mental wellbeing charity that provides life-changing interventions through art for people facing mental or emotional difficulties. The exhibition highlighted how creativity can be channelled to help people living with mental health conditions to express themselves, and live life on their own terms. The video below is a short snippet of the evening and all it entailed.
The event was co-hosted by Veronica Green, best known for her appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 2 and 3, who spoke candidly of her own experiences with mental health and how creativity helped her overcome her struggles.  You can hear more about Veronica’s story on Series 2 of the Mind If I Join You? podcast, where she discusses topics like loneliness, nutrition, inequality and workplace mental health with Professor John Harrison and guests.
For one night only, work from artists with lived experience of mental health conditions, was exhibited and auctioned.
The artists had directly benefitted from the facilities offered by Studio Upstairs, and we wanted to share some of the stories and pieces that were displayed on the night:
Emily
Despite previous difficulties with talking therapies, Emily found solace through art. The studio provided a safe space for her to express herself creatively and explore her emotions in a different way, whilst also helping her to build a supportive community.
Art therapy has also been of benefit to her work in addition to having a positive impact on her mental wellbeing. She has been able to grow and develop her skills, which prompted her to take a foundation course and enrol in a further degree programme in the coming academic year.
Emily has learnt that to achieve positive change, ‘you must push yourself beyond your comfort zone’. She believes receiving support can feel frightening initially, however it might help in the long run.
About the artwork:
Emily uses a wide range of media including oil paint and collages, which explore ideas of architecture and landscape, as showcased in her displayed pieces ‘Dereliction’, ‘Witches’ Paradise’, ‘Witches’ Solace’ and ‘Untitled’.
Sophie
Sophie sought out Studio Upstairs to join a community that fosters creativity and connects like-minded individuals. Discovering Studio Upstairs has not only enriched her weekly routine, but also provided much-needed structure to her creative pursuits.
In her experience, art therapy is a healing process that allows her to focus her ideas and thoughts to create an immersive experience.
She recommends Studio Upstairs for those who need a space to recover from a mental health crisis.
About the artwork:
Sophie’s piece, titled ‘Pretty Deep Trouble’ is oil on canvas, and showcases visions, depicting a woman with visible hallucinations pouring from her eyes.
Wayne
Wayne’s journey to Studio Upstairs began with a referral from St Mungo’s to help him to manage his struggles with addiction and suicidal thoughts. Turning to creativity, Wayne found a means to control these thoughts while also bringing structure to his daily life.
Having experienced the benefits of art therapy firsthand, Wayne strongly recommends it to anyone grappling with mental health challenges. Through his time at Studio Upstairs, he has discovered the therapeutic benefits of creating art in a supportive environment, finding positive coping mechanisms for his anxiety, stress, and depression.
Wayne’s advice to those hesitant to seek help is straightforward, he says, ‘you would be doing yourself a disservice by not reaching out’. He encourages others to take the step of speaking to their GP if they’re struggling with poor mental health, emphasising the importance of seeking support and utilising available resources for their wellbeing.
About the artwork:
Wayne’s piece, titled ‘Discombobulated’, is mixed media. Wayne, who lives with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, has depicted how he feels when ‘they all meet up for a drink in my head’. The face is contorted, illustrated by only one half being shown.
Tracey
Tracey’s art practice spans abstraction and figuration. With a background in Fine Art and a career as an Art Psychotherapist working in diverse settings including the NHS, her work with Studio Upstairs aims to support the members in exploring their artistic identity towards positive creative and emotional growth.
Tracey says, ‘painting can help to address and reframe past experiences. I find my work at Studio Upstairs rewarding; art making is a powerful agent for expression and change’.
About the artwork:
Tracey’s art, Fallen Fog, is an oil on canvas. It was made at a time when Tracey encountered changes in her life and working pattern after being diagnosed with a chronic illness.
From that time, she remembers bouts of fog, which appeared iridescent and green in the night sky, seen from the window during a period of insomnia.
In her work, amorphous shapes such as clouds or bodies of water illustrate thoughts and memories that can be both hard to locate and grasp tangibly.
Myer
Since joining Studio Upstairs, Myer has experienced a significant boost in confidence and has embraced opportunities to socialise and meet new people. This newfound sense of belonging has led Myer to take his art more seriously than ever before.
In Myer’s view, his paintings reflect a continuous stream of imagination—a depiction of endless creativity. The facilities at Studio Upstairs have provided him with the space and resources to bring these imaginative concepts to life. Through his artwork, Myer explores the boundless depths of his creative vision, fuelled by the supportive environment of the studio.
About the artwork:
Drawing on themes of history, engineering and architecture, Myer paints fantastical landscapes in acrylic on canvases.
‘Thatched cottages by the sea’ (left) was inspired by a Dr Who episode, a show Myer has been watching since he was a child.
‘Barnival’ (right) was inspired by the history behind the first ever fairground and the person whose own imagination created the circus, Barnum.
The work of the artists is a powerful example of not only how mental health can impact so much of your life, but also speaks strongly to the power of creativity as an outlet for emotions in difficult times.
Spaces such as Studio Upstairs provide a safe environment to do just that, allowing artists such as Emily, Sophie and Wayne to have a way of processing their emotions, which is why all proceeds of the auction went directly to the charity, so that it can continue providing this space for anyone who needs it to help them live life on their own terms.
The artists above have provided their consent for their artwork and stories to be shared.
