My first Publication Overtime November 2019 Merged PDF | Page 3

ILLUSTRATIONS OF EMOTION
One man’s way of expressing himself might convince us that no one’s alone
Words Seb Turner
“I
’ve hit rock bottom.”
These are words we all hope to never hear
from a loved one. They imply a fragility
of character we often don’t face. They state that
somebody we love may have given up, that they have
been made to feel that they can’t keep going by their
own mind, that they have no hope. These words
suggest a struggle with our own psyche, one we can’t
see with our eyes, but what would it look like if we
could see these emotions?
Artist and music shop owner James Garden, 35, has
been drawing inspiration from his mental health to
bring life to a huge array of pictures in the past few
years. Using his iPad to draw, he found comfort in
expressing his thoughts, feelings and ideas whilst also
immersing himself in the process, allowing himself
escapism from negative situations within his life.
James said: “I think those first few weeks I sketched
out twenty different pictures, some were manic
scribbles, others with a lot more care and detail. I’d
kept these to myself thinking they weren’t very good
and no one else would really want to see them.
“I remember drawing a piece with a guy struggling
against the rain looking out across the water to a
castle in the distance. I’d spent a long time working
on it and was really proud once I’d finished. I looked
back through my other pictures and thought to myself
about how happy they make me, just looking at them
and remembering each moment of small achievement
when they were finished.”
Swapping a canvas for an iPad (Pic: James Garden)
James decided to post one of his early images to
Facebook with the caption: ‘It doesn’t matter if you
create something that other people don’t like or
understand as long as you love it. That’s what matters.’
The responses to his posts were so positive, he decided
to create a dedicated space in which to share his art:
he called this space Mind Doodles.
James’ art quickly grew popular (Pic: James Garden)
Mind Doodles quickly attracted the attention of
people who had been affected by his artwork and
wanted to have some for their own. James said:
“People requested commission pieces and I decided
to donate the profits to charity. I thought to myself,
if one of my pictures could brighten just one person’s
day then it was worth posting, so I’ve been drawing
every day since. Any print sales have been donated to
local mental health charities in Ipswich. Specifically
4YP, the Young Person’s Health Project.”
James’s art had such an impact, BBC’s Look East ran
a local news story which reached even more people.
His personal method of coping with his mental illness
began to affect others. “From the night it aired I had
all sorts of people get in touch, people saying that my
story helped them and that they too had started to
focus on artwork and creating as a way of switching
off from their worries for a couple of hours every day,
or that they’d seen a particular piece that summed
up exactly how they were feeling. That was pretty
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overwhelming for me, but it was all positive and with
a lot of praise which helped my own sense of worth.
I figured if this helped me then I could encourage
others to try the same, to not be afraid to share what
you’ve created if that’s what you love doing, spread
some positivity in those dark times and if it helps just
one person then it’s worth it.”
Through working on his art, James’s world view
and experiences have fundamentally changed from
feeling closed off and oppressed. He said: “I found
that through drawing I’d notice things in the outside
world more: how light bounces off a tree or brickwork,
how water ripples. It brought me out of my own
mind. While walking about it distracted me from busy
spaces. But most important I was openly talking about
my problems and the things in particular that I was
dwelling on. It’s surprising when you’re explaining
this to friends or strangers and they have been or
are going through the same thing. I suddenly didn’t
feel alone. I was part of a team of support and being
able to support others through my own battles and
experiences.”
The future of Mind Doodles is positive and ambitious.
James said: “I can’t see myself ever stopping. I enjoy it
so much and in these two and a half years have never
been bored by it. I plan to keep linking more and more
artists, writers and poets and spreading the message
that we’re not alone in our mental traumas, that
we’re all here for each other as a shoulder to cry on
or somebody to lean on, even at the darkest of times.”
James no longer feels oppressed (Pic: James Garden)