Mind Craft Showcase: September 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 September 2023 featured submissions from other inspiring young people of the DoSomething community.

🎨 Andrea, Oklahoma

++++ "Being able to make this work helped me think about how art actually has been a positive outlet for me. ⤵ Free to let out my emotions and thoughts onto a drawing. I decided to portray that sort of mental liberation I get from art through one of my characters that I usually use to portray my feelings and ideals onto." I was able to build a community for my art and I was grateful to have people that supported me and encouraged me through this amazing journey of self-expression without having the fear of being judged. When times would get hard, I would pick up my pencil and draw away and that would help my inner child express herself, it would be like my little self-care routine. What started as admiration for art, I then became confident and thought “If they can do it, so can I”, after countless fails came many achievements, then those achievements made me want to turn it into a hobby, and finally that hobby led me to find my art style, to create a community where I feel welcomed and find the place where I belong." ++++

🎨 Madison, Oklahoma

+++ "I struggle greatly with perfection. It causes me immense anxiety, and I tend to finish things quite quickly and precisely for this reason. ⤵ This piece allowed me to slow down, and try to think my way through placing each bead and object. It calmed my racing mind to allow myself to make a mess." +++

🎥 Bennett, California

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+++ "Making this short film showed me that my worries about being creative and anxious about making films is ok... ⤵ because I can make anything creative even in my room." +++

🎨 Hailey, Texas

+++ "Creating this art piece helped ease the compunction I was facing with my classes at school because it allowed me to focus on something that brought me joy, rather than stress." ⤵ The repetition of drawing and coloring the sea creatures brought me a sense of serenity, and the blue values instilled a sense of calmness in me. I find that drawing helps me overcome any mental anguish I'm struggling with, especially when I can put all of my emotions into my work." +++

🩰 Mackenzie, West Virginia

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+++ "Dance is a free-form of self expression, in the past month I lost someone very important to me which led to me having to face the most difficult challenges of my life without my best friend. In this piece I let my emotions control my movements and reflect how I am dealing with the grief. ⤵ I have questioned what my purpose is in life without having him next to me and genuinely what I am made to do now. Letting myself feel what I deserve to feel instead of bottling it up is a crucial part in my mental health journey." +++

⚙️ Kiara, Florida

+++ "The process of completing this project allowed me to engage in looking towards my future and seeing a space that I have the potential of growing up to achieve. ⤵ At times, it’s difficult to look towards the future and see myself there but creating this art allows me to visualize what is possible." +++

🎵 Devontae, California

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+++ "This song helped me get away from the reality I live in. ⤵ When I'm making songs like this I am hyperfocused on perfecting my craft and brining in a lot of positive energy towards this artwork." +++

🧸 Jenniah, New York

+++ "As a form of self care, I enjoy collecting what might be considered:"child-like" items or toys". I collect such items because they bring me happiness in the moments where I struggle with my mental health due to personal issues. ⤵ Toys are still and colorful. Most come in bright colors that attract the eyes and can also relax the body. They also have the ability to provide nostalgia, which can remove us from an awful current reality, back into times where we might remember it as better than it actually was. This work of art is a form of both self care and support to my mental health because it expresses me surrounding myself in what I love." +++

🩰 Maria, Oregon

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+++ "Making this work of art helped me by giving me a safe shared space with creators. Dance is a universal language, that I am proud to be a speaker of. Dance reminds me to breathe in and out. It has promoted my physical well-being and emotional well-being. ⤵ It had become part of my self care routine because I am able to tell my emotions through dance; I can share my thoughts visually. It is a recognized privilege, that I take advantage of everyday. Dance has prevented me from calling the helpline." +++

📷 Yseuldt, New York

+++ "This photo helped me with my anxiety and depression because... ⤵ it allowed me to put my struggles into a physical form to get it out of my head. +++

🎨 Maria, Kyoto, Japan

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+++ "This is a timelapse of my drawing titled “Suffocating/Tangled.” I created this drawing on my iPad using Procreate in a time when I felt like I was suffocating or tangled up in stress. ⤵ When I see others express their pain through art like sorrowful songs or dark drawings, it relieves me because it shows me that it’s okay to struggle, it’s human to struggle, and that I’m not alone. While this piece looks dark and is a portrayal of the feeling of suffocation or being tangled up by something you can not see, I created this piece to relieve myself of that suffocation. I created this piece to separate myself from the sorrow. Looking at this dark piece, I do not feel like I am suffocating, I feel proud that I could express myself. Art gives me freedom, even if what I’m creating appears otherwise. +++

🖌️ 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!