#TheArtListens

After attending the Global Mental Health Summit in October 2018, I realised how important is to look after our mind, and stay in good mental health.  Depression, anxiety and emotional traumas deteriorate our health and even worse, seriously affect our mental health. We all sometimes get tired and have gone through stressful times and it is normal to have mental health problems but it is necessary to talk and seek help, as silence keeps increasing the problem.

That's why I created #TheArtListens, an initiative to educate about mental health and Art as a therapy to restore the self-esteem, creativity, and confidence. Art is an incredible therapy to treat mental health problems, a fantastic tool to take a break and overcome fear and anxiety.

Many people will not seek support due to the stigma. That’s why one of my goals with the campaign is to make Mental Health a common topic, without judging or discriminating. No one should feel ashamed to tell others that is experiencing mental health problems, as one of the steps is to accept it.

I started this project in my hometown, under the name #ElArteEscucha helping communities and doing workshops with students at Huila, Colombia. Then I was invited to talk at a University, but I will tell you more about it on my next post.