Creative Health Stories

I'm taking a short break over April. In the meantime, I want you to send me your creative health story!Do you have a creative health story you'd like to share which could inspire other people? Send me an audio recording, no more than 5 minutes long, about how you're engaging with creativity for health or wellbeing to include on the podcast. Or write it down in no more that 750 words and I may read it out.Tell me about you and what you do: Your name (anonymous is fine too), maybe where you live, your age, your gender, your ethnicity, your job, anything else interesting about you (all optional).Describe what creative activities you do and the impact they have on your health or wellbeing.You don't have to be professionally trained and your creative activity can be anything from cooking and gardening through to dance, writing, body art and everything in between. Anything creative! Record your story on your phone (e.g. Voice Memos on iPhone or Voice Recorder app on Android) and send it via email with the subject 'My Creative Health Story' to: laura@creative-health.co.ukBy sending me your audio recording and images you agree for them to be edited and published in part or full on my website, podcast, socials or part of an associated project. Creative Health Stories website @creativehealthstories

Amal Lad is a GP and musician from Birmingham who has made a career out of exploring the intersection between art and medicine. His ability to reveal the connection between music and well-being has been recognised by the BBC and TEDxNHS, as well as countless listeners around the globe. He is the host of the Creative Medicine podcast, which also explores how people use creativity to improve health and wellbeing. Along with being a GP and podcast host Amal composes and releases his own music and is studying for a Masters in Performing Arts Medicine at UCL.Our conversation covers 'self medicating', the role of a GP and the challenges faced in general practice and the wider NHS, along with Amal's own passion for the healing power of music and the arts. He's a super motivated and compassionate human being. Please consider supporting the making of this podcast via PatreonLinks:Website: https://www.amallad.comSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/amal-ladSocials:Twitter: https://twitter.com/amalladmusicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amal.ladYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/AmalLadMusicFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/amal.lad.musicLinktree: https://linktr.ee/AmalLadMusic@creativehealthstoriesEdited by @podcastpenny

Christopher Bailey is the Arts and Health Lead at the World Health Organization and a co-founder of the Jameel Arts and Health Lab.  Educated at Columbia and Oxford Universities as well as the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, after a career as a professional actor and playwright, Christopher worked at the Rockefeller Foundation before joining the WHO.Christopher has also performed original pieces such as Stage 4: Cancer and the Imagination, and The Vanishing Point: A journey into Blindness and Perception.Our conversation covers Christopher’s journey to his current role (which he created), philosophy, theatre, and how arts and health fit into the aims of the WHO. We talk about the effects of art from neuroscience, public health, and preventative perspectives, along with the effects of awe, shock and wonder and the deep aesthetic experience. We cover the UK’s influence in this field but also the lack of investment. Christopher shares how the WHO influences health policy around the world to be inclusive of the arts and lets us in on his own creative health world.Please consider supporting the making of this podcast via PatreonLinksWHO Arts and HealthJameel Arts & Health LabCreative Brain WeekHealing Arts ScotlandNeuroArts BlueprintDaisy FancourtSocialsChristopher’s LinkedIn@baileychristophet@creativehealthpodPodcast PatreonEdited by @podcastpenny

Kiran 'Kiz' Manley is the UK’s first Hip Hop Therapist. In 2012 she set up Hip Hop HEALS, a mental health social enterprise that spreads knowledge and research about Trauma-Informed Hip Hop. She hosts and produces her own podcast called 'Glowwiththeflow' on therapeutic Hip Hop, offering radical solutions to homelessness and mental ill health. The work stems from her own lived experiences of loss and grief and she now uses this to amplify the voices of others and people powered change to improve health systems. Kiz also works as the ‘Lived Experience and ProgrammeCoordinator’ at UCL for a big research programme called Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities. ***Please note, in this episode Kiz discusses the loss of her sister in a car crash and the resulting grief and acute trauma responses. She also talks about the loss of her father, how grief is dealt with differently in different cultures and the inequities in the health system faced by global majority people in the UK***Our conversation covers the whole spectrum of emotions - grief and sadness, but also lots of humour, frustration, happiness and joy. Links:Hip Hop HEALSKiz shared her experiences in a new book 'Music for Inclusion and Healing in Schools and Beyond' Kiz’s own podcast is Glowitheflow and you can watch podcast footage hereMobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities programmeSocials:@hiphophealsukKiz/Kiran's LinkedInThis episode was edited by Penny Bell @podcastpenny

Sian Stevenson is Creative Director of Moving Memory Dance Theatre Company. Sian has worked in theatre, opera and participatory arts for over 30 years. She has extensive experience in applied theatre, with specialist knowledge in movement, inclusivity, and disability. Her  work with Moving Memory is focused on the creation and promotion of a distinctive, movement-based, peer-led, collaborative, creative practice which enables people (especially women aged 50+) to tell their own stories and express their individual identity.  In this episode Sian discusses her own rebellious and DIY journey into theatre and performance, teaching, and working freelance. She explains how she learnt that ‘showing off is actually just showing yourself’ and the importance of being allowed to ‘play.’ We talk about why Moving Memory exists; about challenging ageism in society, the fear of getting older and, sharing and celebrating the stories, experiences and creativity of older people through performance.Links:Moving Memory Dance Theatre CompanySian’s LinkedInSocials:@moving_memoryThis episode was edited by Penny Bell @podcastpenny 

On the 27th November, London Arts and Health invited everyone interested in the intersections of health and culture to come together for a day of exchange, reflection, boundary pushing and action planning. Together, we imagined London as a creative health capital city, laying the building blocks to see it become reality. Creative and health organisations and practitioners all see health and culture working together to address health needs across the UK’s capital city, however, for too many Londoners these activities are out of reach.I spent the day asking people what creative health means to them, what they think about London as creative health city, how to make it a reality and what difference it would make to their work. The conversations highlight the opportunities and challenges and offer perspectives from people working on the ground with communities, across many forms of creativity.The event was an initiative developed and funded by the Mayor of London and Arts Council England, delivered in partnership with London Arts and Health.If you’d like to make a podcast or audio story about your work, your organisation, for an event, project, exhibition, or installation, please get in touch.Interviewees in order:Anna Woolf London Arts and HealthJide Ashimi Raw Material Music & Media, SLaMShadé Joseph Writerz & ScribezLydia Rose Freelance ArtistMarley Starsky Butler Freelance, New Town Culture, Hospital RoomsMah Rana, Artist & AcademicDr. Paul Gilluley NHS North East LondonLaura Godfrey Isaacs Artist & Midwife, Maternal JournalJoanna Latimer London Arts and HealthTarek Iskander Battersea Arts CentreLewis Pickles & Elise Harbord The Road ZineLwandile Nkosi & Donald Boujar Queen Mary University of LondonMarlo Savin & Kirsty Collander-Brown The Albany & Sounds Like ChaosElizabeth Lynch CADARichard Ings Arts Council England

Daniel Fulvio is currently Deputy Director of Audiences (Community) at Rambert contemporary dance company, where he leads the learning and participation programme. Prior to Rambert Daniel’s roles have included leading the participation programme at Camden People’s Theatre and a producer of innovative, new queer performance projects with Opening Doors London and The Albany. He’s also been an award-winning journalist featured in the Guardian and the Times and was Deputy Editor of Attitude magazine. In this episode Daniel discusses his experiences of bullying at school and how art and performing saved him from this. He describes how as a queer kid growing up in the 90s, who didn't feel like he fitted in, he used art and culture as a form of escapism.  Daniel also discusses the loss of his brother by suicide as a trigger for helping others through creativity.  We go on to discuss why creativity and expression is important for LGBTQ+ people as a form of empowerment, confidence, creating community and the sharing of ideas with like-minded people.  We chat about the importance of dance, not just for physical health but also for self-expression and connecting through culture. He discusses the work of Rambert, making contemporary dance accessible and practitioner wellbeing. We also chat about Rambert’s pilot work with Greater Manchester Combined Authority on a movement project to support physical development and gross motor skills in early years.  We finish with Daniel sharing the ways he supports his own wellbeing which enables him to continue supporting others. Links: Rambert – contemporary dance company Greater Manchester Creative Health Strategy Socials:@rambertdance @daniel_fulvio Daniel’s LinkedIn  This episode was edited by Penny Bell @podcastpenny

A quick message about what's coming in the New Year!I'm taking a little break and will be back in January with a special bonus episode, plus series TWO!!!Next year I'll be looking to develop the podcast with more on location recording.If you have a creative health story which needs to be told and heard, please get in touch via the website or socials:creative-health.co.uk@creativehealthpodUntil then Happy New Year! See you back here in 2024!!