Stories

When he was in his second year at university studying art, Sheikh Ahmed, had to leave due to mental health problems. He was subsequently diagnosed with hyper anxiety.

Now, aged 31, Sheikh's art is on show at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery as part of a new exhibit showcasing photography and art work by young people who have faced mental health difficulties.

Sheikh has been part of a project organised by Full Potential Arts, a Birmingham-based organisation which helps excluded people have access to and express themselves through art.

Birmingham museum and art gallery

Themes of identity

He, and fifteen other young people aged between 18-30, had two art-based sessions a week for four months. The group chose to focus on themes of identity and self perception, and each member produced a body of work in a variety of mediums.

Linda Revington, an art psychotherapist, conducted sessions to help the group express emotion through art. They also had photography classes conducted by Alicja Rogalska and learnt to create strong digital images.

The project was devised and managed by Deborah Living, who personally had fifteen years of mental health difficulties and who had found art both therapeutic and inspiring.

Sheikh says the course helped him to reconnect with his younger self: “I never went back to university, so the course felt like a second chance to discover art and get back on the horse.”

Passion for photography

The intensive art therapy sessions helped him to gain a new perspective on life. Each week the group would be given 45 minutes to create a composition to reflect their emotions and then the work would be discussed and analysed by the group.

“The art therapy helped me to get myself into a frame of mind to deal with things more effectively. When you’re being creative, it clears your mind of everything else and helps you to focus and express yourself fully,” says Sheikh.

He now has close friends from the course and has developed a passion for photography.

“I’m still taking pictures and using software packages on the computer to edit them," he says.

"I’m using all the skills I’ve picked up and my portfolio is slowly growing.”

Sam's picture of a fountain

Skipped art lessons

Sam Carter, 27, had a history of psychosis and was referred to the scheme through ED:IT, the Early Detection Intervention Team run by Birmingham and Solihull NHS Trust, which helps people with mental health difficulties.

Sam was well on the road to recovery and was encouraged to get involved in new things, particularly the creative arts: “I discovered by doing the project, how effective creative arts can be for you when you’re at that stage of mental health recovery.”

Sam’s last experience of art had been at primary school – he had skipped art lessons at high school. However, he too found the art therapy classes to be a life changing experience.

“It was quite a profound thing; it really helped me to discover myself. Art therapy somehow opens a part of you, a new area of yourself.

"After the classes I was a lot more confident and I could communicate with those around me more effectively.

"Everyone around me noticed a massive difference. Towards the end of the project, I’d be looking forward to the classes all week.”

Reactions to the exhibit

At the end of the project, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery were looking for a new exhibit for their Community Gallery and Full Potential Arts suggested their project.

Once chosen, the gallery worked closely with six of the artists who wished to exhibit their work and helped them to produce audio, video and text to complement their pieces.

The exhibit now has a wide range of art work and photography by members of the group. Audio, videos and extracts from the artists’ journals show the processes they went through and visitors are encouraged to contribute to a journal about their own reactions to the exhibit.

Sam Carter's work

Sam wished to use quotes from Paulo Coelho alongside his photographs.

At the time of the project he was reading books about spirituality and his photographs helped to reflect the material he was reading and his journey of self discovery.

Excited and nervous

Sam was thrilled when the author allowed him to use five of his quotes to accompany his seven photographs.

Sam is happy to have his work exhibited to thousands of people in the West Midlands: “If it happened anywhere else in Birmingham it would be great, but to be at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery it is just mind-blowing. It feels such a privilege to have a whole exhibit for our group.”

Sheikh is both excited and nervous about the reception their work will get but thoroughly grateful for the project and the impact it had on everyone on the course: “I’d just like to say a big thanks to Full Potential Arts for making the last few months the most enjoyable I’ve had since I had problems. I just hope the course continues and more people get to appreciate what they do.”

Connect Through Art – Standing on the Mirror’s Edge, will be at the Community Gallery, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery from July 18 – November.