HeadSpace Magazine 2 Favorite 

Express and Create, Solidarity and Support" is a slogan that summarises the aims of HeadSpace, a new, non-profit, artistic magazine that accepts submissions on the theme of mental health. It is entirely run by volunteers and mostly distributed for free in psychiatric wards and other places that cater to people with mental health problems. The first issue was launched in May 2013 in Dublin.

HeadSpace used crowdsourcing, fundraising events and a small grant provided by O2 ThinkBig/Jigsaw to fund a small print run of this first issue as a pilot. Free copies were distributed in the psychiatric ward of St James University Hospital, Roslyn Park School, part of the National learning network, the largest non-government training organisation which specifically caters for students with disadvantage, disability and/or mental health difficulty, and Tara House, which provides outpatient psychiatrist, psychology, social work, occupational therapy, counselling and nursing services to clients from the Gorey and North Wexford area. Copies are also for sale to the general public online at http://www.headspace-magazine.com, the HeadSpace website.

The magazine began with a group of young people who were dealing with mental health difficulties and found that although Ireland’s attitude to mental health has improved radically, a greater understanding of mental health in all its forms – from good health through to illness and recovery – is needed. In particular, people who spent time in psychiatric wards found that there was a lack of reading material there, and felt they would have gained a sense of solidarity and support to read and see the work of writers and artists who understood their experience, and who could from first hand speak of hope and recovery. There was also no platform for people to communicate their experiences in times of poor mental health or after an improvement.

HeadSpace was set up to tackle these issues head on. It is a creative magazine as mental health is an issue many of us still find it hard to speak about, but we can often tell truths through creativity and art that we feel unable to say directly. The name HeadSpace was motivated by the idea that in culture and society, we are not given the time or capacity to express, create and think as time is money, but all of us feel the need to buy some ‘headspace’ in order to maintain positive mental health.

The project has recently received a grant from the Rehab Arts Fund are and the will enable the publication of a second issue. Though moving forwards may be a challenge as we still need help spreading the word and finding funds for future publications, it is one that shall be met enthusiastically.