Recovering Creativity: Understanding the Role of Art in Mental Health Recovery, Through the Voices and Images of People with Lived Experience of a Major Mental Health Problem

This Report brings together the findings from a research project funded by a partnership between Flourish Australia (previously, RichmondPRA) and Western Sydney University. The project, Recovering Creativity: Understanding the role of art in mental health recovery through the voices and images of people with lived experience of major mental illness, was conducted from 2015 through to 2016 and included a public exhibition of participant artwork. The goal of the research was to extend knowledge of how arts-based interventions contribute to mental health recovery and to also highlight the role played by community-managed mental health organisations. This is because the work of such institutions is not sufficiently described in Australian data collection. The Recovering Creativity research specifically sought to understand the ways in which supported art making informs the mental health recovery process and what effect participation in arts-based recovery groups might have on the identity and social inclusion of people with lived experience of major mental health issues. Using a combination of arts-based groups, narrative enquiry and social network analysis, the main research findings provide clear evidence that art making in a group context supports the goals and principles of mental health recovery in multiple ways. The research findings are described in this Report under three key themes: Creating a space for recovery through art; Co-creating and co-sustaining an artist identity; and Creative community for contributing selves. These themes and associated sub-themes address the recovering person in their social context and provide the basis for recommendations targeting mental health policy, service delivery and professional practice, including the broader utilisation of arts-based interventions in recovery-oriented service provision. In moving forward, we hope that the research findings will inform community initiatives for advancing arts-based mental health recovery and that the specific recommendations made in this report provide a platform to do so.