What Happened
Mental Health for Artists 2024
Our 2024 season brought together artists, writers, and therapists to explore how we care for ourselves and one another through creative practice, conversation, and reflection.
The 2024 season of Mental Health for Artists brought together artists, writers, and therapists for a series of talks exploring burnout, care, grief, pleasure, and listening. Each event opened space for honesty, shared experience, and collective reflection on what wellbeing means for artists today.
Highlights from the 2024 Season
Art + Grief: Burning Out and Figuring Out What Matters – Chris Alton
Chris shared his experience of creative and professional burnout and how it led him to refocus on more personal, collaborative work, including his poetry film Ways to Speak Absence.
“Burning out forced me to look at where I was putting my energy and what really mattered.”
Chris Alton, Art + Grief
Tackling Burnout: Self-Compassion for ‘Rebel Creatives’ – Jane Claire Bradley
Jane explored how self-compassion and clear boundaries help creatives manage burnout and sustain their practice.
“Self-compassion and self-acceptance are the foundation of sustainable creativity.”
Jane Claire Bradley, Tackling Burnout
Listening Better – Amelia Hawk
Amelia introduced The Listening Line, a telephone artwork offering space for exhausted voices to be heard, and led an interactive listening exercise.
“Listening is a form of care. It reminds us that art can make space for others, not just ourselves.”
Amelia Hawk, Listening Better
The Art of Pleasure – Sarah-Joy Ford
Sarah-Joy discussed the emotional politics of textiles, queerness, and childhood through her project RABBIT, reflecting on pleasure as a form of creative resilience.
Old in Art School – In Conversation with Nell Painter
Nell spoke about age, identity, and the courage to start again, sharing her experience of returning to art school in her sixties.
“You will never be an artist — that’s what they told me. So I became one anyway.”
Nell Painter, Old in Art School
Why It Matters
This season focused on building awareness, empathy, and community across the creative sector. Participants described the series as grounding and restorative, with each talk offering practical insight into how artists can care for themselves and others.
Through open conversation and shared reflection, Mental Health for Artists continues to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health and to promote a culture of care across contemporary practice.
Members can watch again
Recordings and transcripts of all 2024 events are available in the Axis community area.
Find out more about the annual Mental Health for Artists programme, including the latest season and upcoming events, on our Mental Health for Artists page.
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Axis is an artist-led charity supporting contemporary visual artists with resources, connection, and visibility.