Two studies into the mental health of Australia’s creative industry launched

The first major Australian study into the mental health and wellbeing of those who work in creative, media and marketing industries has launched as part of a partnership between Never Not Creative, UnLtd and Everymind.

The purpose of the research is to gather thoughts on mental health within the workplace, accessibility of health programs for those who work in the industry, and the types of programs that may be most suitable. The results will be used to guide development of programs for enhancing both mental and physical health specifically tailored to the needs of those who work in the creative, media and marketing industries.

Andy Wright, founder of creative community Never Not Creative, told Mumbrella that while issues of burn-out and stress in the creative industries are widespread, there have been no concrete statistics to quantify the problem.”This study will bring robust data backed by credible and proven methodologies to start us on the path to identifying solutions,” he added.

The 15–20-minute survey is open to anyone over the age of 18 who currently works in the creative industries, and can be accessed here.

Running concurrently to this survey is a research project being overseen by James Cook University, that seeks to assess the mental health and wellbeing needs of art students. The Visual Arts Wellbeing project aims to provide an evidence base to guide the future development of university art curricular and help emerging artists learn how to enhance their wellbeing before entering the creative workforce.

The project is gathering evidence from visual arts students through two different phases: (1) a 15-minute survey asking questions about students’ wellbeing and resilience levels, how stressed students might feel and what they do when things get tough at university, and; (2) interviews with principal investigator Eileen Siddins to discuss how experiences at university can influence students’ wellbeing, and ways to support their mental health and wellbeing during their degree.

If you are completing an Australian undergraduate degree, majoring in fine arts (including painting, drawing, print, sculpture, ceramics, and textiles), illustration and design (including graphic and interactive design), or digital art (including digital illustration and/or animation), then you are eligible to participate, and also have a chance to win one of three Eckersley’s Art and Craft Gift Vouchers. Take the survey here.