Messages from the HeART
A project for people with lived experience of mental health and associated issues to express what they would like to say to service-providers, leaders and society through art, poetry and other creative media...and have their voices heard.
(**Scroll down for more information, photos and feedback)
WORKSHOPS
Free creative workshops provided a welcoming, nurturing space for participants to find belonging, explore their stories and feelings through art, and create pieces for future exhibitions, or just for fun. Sadly, the funding that facilitated these has now ended.
Our most recent exhibition, at Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, London, (March 2025) was an enormous success, featuring new as well as seasoned artwork. This included pieces from participants of our most recent project,
The HeART of Sanctuary, funded by Wandsworth Council's Wandsworth Borough of Sanctuary fund. (Photos below)
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this, as well as to our previous exhibitions and events at International House Brixton, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (Relational Practice Manifesto Launch), Methodist Central Hall, Westminster (Citizens UK Mayoral Assembly - and MadHearts/PsychArt Conference at Queen Mary University, as well as The Horniman Museum, and Ocean Studios and Devonport Guildhall, Plymouth.
Note: The exhibition is a community resource which can be loaned or hired to other organisations for events, conferences and awareness-raising initiatives. Please contact [email protected] if you'd like to know more.
The HeART of Sanctuary, funded by Wandsworth Council's Wandsworth Borough of Sanctuary fund. (Photos below)
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this, as well as to our previous exhibitions and events at International House Brixton, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (Relational Practice Manifesto Launch), Methodist Central Hall, Westminster (Citizens UK Mayoral Assembly - and MadHearts/PsychArt Conference at Queen Mary University, as well as The Horniman Museum, and Ocean Studios and Devonport Guildhall, Plymouth.
Note: The exhibition is a community resource which can be loaned or hired to other organisations for events, conferences and awareness-raising initiatives. Please contact [email protected] if you'd like to know more.
Photos of artwork here, narratives by artists here.
Warning - Some of these images have been inspired by distressing or disturbing experiences and may evoke emotional responses in those viewing them. Some contain profanity/swear-words.
Please scroll down to learn more about this exciting project.
Warning - Some of these images have been inspired by distressing or disturbing experiences and may evoke emotional responses in those viewing them. Some contain profanity/swear-words.
Please scroll down to learn more about this exciting project.
Services for Organisations
Contact [email protected] to discuss training for service-providers, organisations, universities and businesses, plus presentations and speeches about compassionate and relational practice, co-production, and lived experience of psychosis/non-ordinary states.
**TELLING OUR STORIES - AND BEING HEARD
The focus of Hope in the Heart's current projects is to give a voice to people with lived experience and find ways to ensure those voices are heard by those in power.
People who live through challenging times often emerge with a message that is asking to be communicated. It is as though a door has been opened within our psyches; we have a story that needs to be told, to aid our own recovery and healing, and to inspire and inform others, and contribute to positive change.
Creativity can be an ideal channel for this.
For people with lived experience, such communication can aid their own personal development and healing. Expressing something they would like to say to service-providers, policy-makers, commissioners and leaders may also contribute to changes in the way services support others in need. From discrimination to climate distress, displacement to disability to dissatisfaction with all kinds of systems, and so much more, our expereriences are important and our voices deserve to be heard.
Relational Practice involves prioritising relationships over systems. While those of us who are or have been service-users may have encountered some excellent supportive services, we can often feel that providers do not relate to us as human-to-human, in a spirt of compassion and equity.
This project provides a platform to address some of the issues faced by people with lived experience, and promote relational change, reconciliation and co-production and in an innovative, interactive and creative way.
Please visit our YouTube channel to see a variety of short videos narrated and illustrated by people with lived experience.
The focus of Hope in the Heart's current projects is to give a voice to people with lived experience and find ways to ensure those voices are heard by those in power.
People who live through challenging times often emerge with a message that is asking to be communicated. It is as though a door has been opened within our psyches; we have a story that needs to be told, to aid our own recovery and healing, and to inspire and inform others, and contribute to positive change.
Creativity can be an ideal channel for this.
For people with lived experience, such communication can aid their own personal development and healing. Expressing something they would like to say to service-providers, policy-makers, commissioners and leaders may also contribute to changes in the way services support others in need. From discrimination to climate distress, displacement to disability to dissatisfaction with all kinds of systems, and so much more, our expereriences are important and our voices deserve to be heard.
Relational Practice involves prioritising relationships over systems. While those of us who are or have been service-users may have encountered some excellent supportive services, we can often feel that providers do not relate to us as human-to-human, in a spirt of compassion and equity.
This project provides a platform to address some of the issues faced by people with lived experience, and promote relational change, reconciliation and co-production and in an innovative, interactive and creative way.
Please visit our YouTube channel to see a variety of short videos narrated and illustrated by people with lived experience.
Details of some previous projects, when we were based in Plymouth, are here:
Ageing Gloriously!
The Spirit of Community
The Spirit of Community (Report, post-covid)
Ageing Gloriously!
The Spirit of Community
The Spirit of Community (Report, post-covid)