Mind Craft Showcase: October 2023

The Mind Craft Showcase features all the incredible artwork from young people nationwide, who have participated in our Mind Craft program and shared with us how their artistic expressions support their mental health journey.

Below are all the October 2023 featured submissions from other inspiring young people of the DoSomething community.

🎨 Chloe, California

++++ "Since I was in elementary school I've found that art helps me to decompress and relax my mind. Whether I'm sketching, painting (watercolor and acrylic), or using mixed media, the creative process provides a mental break from the stress of my academic classes. I find the process to be really therapeutic, and I'm proud of the work I've done. If I'm in a rut or find that I'm procrastinating academically, I know I'm in need of a mental break. I find that I can recenter myself by working on a piece of art. This is my most recent painting. Thank you for your consideration!" ++++

✏️ Brianne, Texas

+++ "Making this drawing has helped me adapt to the mindset of progression rather than perfection. I tend to beat myself up when things aren’t perfect. I’ve heard voices that tell me it’s not enough and I’m not enough. This mindset of believing that I have to be perfect caused me to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. However, when creating this drawing I focused on just the progress of creating, I took my time, and told myself it didn’t have to be perfect, it was art no matter what. This mindset helped me create the best piece of art I’ve ever created. I’ve also been working on having this mindset throughout my day to day life. “Progress not perfection.” life is a piece of art, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mistakes too." +++

🪩 Kendall, Oregon

⏯ Play Video

+++ "This piece of art was so important to me in so many ways. This is a video of me performing my very first self-choreographed solo at a dance competition. Taking dance and going to competitions has been a huge part of my life since I was three years old. I love the creativity dance can have for people and how you can express yourself without words. The ability to find a song I can connect to and then express my emotions from movement has always helped me get through difficult times and is definitely much less scary for me to do. This dance was about my struggles to move on from a toxic friendship which had consumed my life with mental health struggles. This dance helped me breath through these emotions and create something beautiful and powerful to push me through the difficult time I was facing." +++

📝 Maggie, California

++++ "The form of art that helps my mental health by writing poems. I have been writing pomes down for three years now. Anytime it gets hard or just a special feeling I want to remember I write it down, and it really helps. I have quite a lot of pomes and when I re-read them it brings back memories, and I can use it to help other going through a hard time. I recommend for everyone to write down what they are feeling no matter how big or small. It really helps!" ++++

🖊️ Abigail, Texas

+++ "With this image, I wanted to communicate the art of silence. I live in the big city of Dallas, where there is just a ton of noise. I wanted to illustrate a moment of silence, to listen to yourself, your heart, and your soul. Have others sit with you in the silence for the moments when life is just really hard. Not everything needs to be moving, talking, hearing, or something else. Slow down. Be silent. Be still." +++

🔩 Overly, Oregon

++++ "This photo depicts the steps on making a plastic model. From the cutting of the pieces, to the trimming and sanding them in order to bring out more of the design, this hobby helps me relax... ...concentrating in making the coolest looking robot model I can." ++++

🖍️ Claudia, Texas

+++ "Making this piece of art helped me to calm down... shut off my worries, and focus only on the drawing." ++++

🎼 Sienna, Utah

⏯ Play Video

++++ "This video shows the my 3 favorite songs I love to play on the piano. Piano is a great way for me to escape the struggles of life and take a moment to myself. These songs come so easy to me it’s like I don’t need to think I just play them. This helps me to calm down and relieve some stress. Piano has helped me handle my stress and allows me to find happiness and relief when I need it. In fact it’s not just piano it’s all music. Music helps me feel happy and positive and I am so grateful I am able to listen to it today." ++++

✂️ Andres, Texas

+++ "The origami models in this photo are Pikachu and Princess Leia Organa. I started doing origami as a way to get rid of anxiety/stress and use my hands. I started this almost 8 years ago and have kept up with it since. I have always been a bit of an introvert throughout high school and this was an easy way for me to show off my interests to others easily. This has also helped in sharpening my attention to detail as well as tempering my patience as some models I have done were really complex and took hours of time." +++

🎨 Zack, Nevada

++++ "When I made this painting, I was having a horrible depressive episode. When I started to calm down, I was staring at this blank canvas as my lamp was showing my shadow on said canvas. I was feeling so many things; it was like a blur. I seem to forget when this happens. I don't know why. When looking at my shadow, I decided to draw my shadow to show what I was feeling. I then merged my shadows, showing I was not just sitting and concentrating. I am a mess, at least in my eyes. That’s what I saw. I did this painting almost as a reminder of how I never want to be in that state ever again, feeling small, angry, confused, sad, wanting death for me. I wanted to die. I have a hard time saying this. I always feel guilty when saying that. Currently, I am getting better, but the truth is, it's hard. Hard to feel better, hard not to think those thoughts of death. Hey, at least I'm trying to understand myself one day at a time. In my painting, it's hard to tell, but I did use clay, oil paint, and charcoal. The clay I used is to be pulled out of the canvas like how I want to be out of depression, but it's pulling me to stay. The different paints, like the orange with the white dipping paint, are when I can cry in the shower not being sure if I actually was. Showing my eyes to try to convey how I'm tired and want to feel better. I want to be better, but that's not how it works. In the blue, it slowly starts to get darker and almost wild with the paint strokes. I felt like from the top, I looked okay, but I was worse on the inside. Then I used charcoal but didn't put varnish on that area because once you touch charcoal, it spreads and gets all over you. With my mental health at the time, just one little thing in my mind, I started to think about everything like a mess. I started becoming a mess. My painting is a reminder of how I should get better to have less of those past episodes. I know it will be hard but I can get through it. Yes, I can. -Zayda Ramirez" ++++

🖌️ Submit your artistic expression and share how it is a beneficial part of your mental health journey for the opportunity to earn a yearlong SketchBox subscription, the best drawing and painting art supplies for you to continue exploring your creativity. (1 box per month, for 12 months, valued at $240) Join Mind Craft today!