Sticking at It

This in the third is a series where we chat to artists about their strategies for managing their mental wellbeing and how their creative practice supports this.

Andy is a self-taught collage artist who grew up in the North East but who now lives with his family in Beeston. He started making collage pieces in the early 2000s and has amassed a large portfolio of work that ranges from postcard sized pictures right up to a three panelled work that is around 8ft x 3ft. As someone who has suffered serious bouts of anxiety and depression, art forms a key part of his self-care regime. He publishes work on his Instagram with an archive of pictures and images of inspiration on his Pinterest, as well as blogging very occasionally about the work and other thoughts (including those about his mental health) on his WordPress blog.

Magazines and Pritt Sticks

“I had a job where I felt creatively stifled and it just started as a response to that.

Budget-wise, because I use magazines there’s the cost of them and with collage you end up spending money on Pritt sticks. But one of the things I like about collage is that it is relatively cheap to do. I make stuff from combinations of A4 paper (so when there are bigger pieces, they tend to be A4 sheets taped together) and you can use loads of recycled A4 sources (junk mail or printed work stuff that’s no longer needed)

My inspirations come from all over the place. I love a wide range of artists – Jasper Johns, Keith Tyson, Gilbert and George, Roy Lichtenstein, Dadaist stuff, Cubism stuff, Abstract stuff. Wider media is a big influence on my work though. Given the subject of many of my pictures, news media, magazine culture, pop culture, movies, TV, music, sport, fiction and non-fiction authors – its all kind of in the melting pot. I’m working on a series of pictures at the moment that is along these lines and will outline a whole bunch of different things that I use as reference points or that I think have affected my thought process and weaved their way into the work.”

It’s always been collage

“Mostly because I’m really technically inept so painting, drawing, printmaking, textile, video work – its all never really been an option. That said, I’ve got a bunch of ideas for work that I’d like to execute if anyone ever gave me enough money to commission more skilled artisans to make it on my behalf… You know, if there’s any rich benefactors out there… “

Favourite piece

“Given the purpose of Thortify I’ve chosen this one (“Hey Runner, What Are You Running From?”) for a few reasons.

Running, like making art, for a long time was a big part of my system for keeping my mental health in check. There’s so much evidence out there about how physical activity helps your brain but when you’re younger I don’t think you necessarily want to hear that – particularly if you had traumatic experiences of PE at school (I didn’t but I know loads of people who did). I remember seeing the comedian Russell Howard and he did a bit about literally running away from your problems on the treadmill, and that really resonated.

The line itself comes from a song by The Young Knives called Fit 4 U and if you listen to the lyrics there you’ll spot a thematic connection.

Visually, I wanted to invoke a clear sense of movement and direction, but given that it was about not being in a clear headspace I didn’t want it pointing in one direction. So a herringbone pattern was a perfect template. The individual pieces of paper then came from find different images that I could slice into up to 10 slivers that I could then use in different rows on the picture. The placement of each sliver was not rule bound beyond ensuring that they didn’t touch a sliver from the same source in the row above or below. So its chaotic but systematic, like an attempt to describe how your thinking can be when you’re mentally unwell but when you’re doing things to try and improve that.

But that said, I do more and more think that explanation isn’t helpful when you’re talking about art and that you should just leave the viewer to decide what they think of things rather than telling them what they should get from looking at it.

It’s also my wife’s favourite piece of mine so that’s worth saying!”

Art as therapy

“It’s hugely useful. Collage (folding, tearing, cutting, sticking) is very mindful. It’s a focused physical activity like cooking. My day job involves lots of thinking and talking so its good to do something that, once I’ve had the initial ideas and built the conceptual framework and rules I want to work to, is a more mechanical and tactile."“

Advice for collage newbies

“Stop worrying about what it will look like or what people might think about it and just make the damn thing. You’re guaranteed at some point to make something that you end up thinking is a bit shit – that’s fine. No-one starts of as the finished product and everyone is a work in progress. Just stick at it and keep going until you find the thing that works best of you. And be kind to yourself while you’re doing it.”

Self care strategies

“Sleep, drinking lots of water, spending time with the family, art, cycling. I’ve reached a good place mentally now and I’m only occasionally troubled by black dog days (still more than I’d like but then I’d like none at all ideally...)

But I’m conscious that my journey to get there took in CBT, anti-depressants, person-centred therapy, and quitting alcohol completely so I don’t want anyone under the illusion that its easy to keep your head together. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had a great support network (family and friends) who’ve helped me whilst I stumbled through to what ultimately might seem like simple answers that I likely wouldn’t have listened to if someone had told me them when I was 18 years old…”

For more info on Andy’s work, check out the links at the top of the article. He’s always happy to chat about his work and his experiences of depression and anxiety so drop him a line through those links.

A huge thanks to Andy, and all of our featured artists for sharing with us their influences, favourite pieces and self care strategies. We hope that their words and encouragement will inspire you to go and create something this week!

Bees & love

Debra