Influential & Inspirational: Michelle Obama

Last night, on the 10^th January 2017, Barack Obama gave his Farewell Address before the Obama’s leave the White House and Donald Trump’s inauguration takes place on the 20^th January. While this last year in US politics have been a sensational, petty and uncertain time, the Obama’s have continued to rise above it with grace and confidence. In his speech, Obama reflected on the last eight years and thanked those closest to him. When it came to addressing his wife, Obama said: “You took on a role you didn’t ask for and made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humour. You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. And a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. You’ve made me proud. You’ve made the country proud.”

Michelle Obama never asked to be The First Lady, it was a title she was handed when her husband became the 44^th President of the United States. Yet in her eight years in the White House, she has done more than anyone could have ever imagined (including getting me to pay more attention to US politics than I ever thought I would!) She has been a fierce advocate for equality; standing up for what she believes in, and speaking the truth where so many other hide it. Particularly, during recent months she has given some very powerful speeches, some where her words have moved me to tears and have caused twitter to erupt!

The honesty she beholds is admirable and refreshing, and when you take a second look, its not Michelle Obama the First Lady of the United States speaking. It’s simply Michelle; a loving wife and mother of two, pushing for the best possible country for her children to grow up in, and for young people worldwide. She has become relatable and fascinating to the world in many ways; from becoming a style icon, to a fixture on US TV. Her charisma comes across elegantly and naturally in interviews, while her fun side can be seen during late night TV; carpool karaoke with James Corden and dancing skits with Jimmy Fallon to say the least. This sense of humour shows her down to earth side and creates an appearance that is real and identifiable. She has become ‘cool’, whatever that means, and people want to be like her. Be that through their fashion choices or deciding to get involved in something they believe in, more people aspiring to be like Michelle Obama cannot be a bad thing.

Michelle Obama has dedicated herself to may causes, raising their public profiles in a subtle yet visible way, all to encourage making a difference. Her ‘Let’s Move’ initiative which began in 2010 encouraged families to be more active and start eating healthily in her attempt to combat child obesity. She’s supported military families through her initiative ‘Joining Forces’ which she created with Jill Biden in order to help veterans. Most recently her ‘Let Girls Learn’ programme has pushed to change the perception of the value of girls in developing countries, striving to achieve a better education for them. With an Ivy League education herself, she has constantly pushed the need for education, especially for girls, and is an example that you can achieve whatever you put your mind to.

Looking back over the last eight years Michelle has earned herself an immense amount of popularity and respect, with people already calling for #Michelle2020! But it isn’t just her dedication to so many causes that makes her such an amazing role model for young people. It’s the passion that she puts into everything she does, the commitment and dedication she has shown to all of her initiative, her compassion in the face of disasters and her ability to raise two daughters amongst the craziness of the White House. She has constantly encouraged people to be the best versions of themselves, whether through aspiring to higher education, or by taking more care of yourself. Just like millions of others, she has inspired me to be better; to work harder, to appreciate more and to set my sights higher, because there is nothing stopping me or anyone else for that matter.

The list of reasons why Michelle Obama is an inspiration is endless, and I could go on all day writing about how much she has achieved, but I won’t because she isn’t done yet. The world is lucky to have her as a role model, for young girls to aspire to. Whilst soon she will no longer be the First Lady, the impact that Michelle Obama has had on the world and will continue to have is not one to be underestimated.

By Niamh O’Connor

Dear Grief,

Dear Grief,

Here you are again, for the third time in my life.

Twice in one year, the third time in 14 months.

One side suffers the loss of a Dad, a Grandad, and a Great Grandad.

The other: a Son, a Brother, a Nephew, a Cousin.

And here I am grieving both.

What a strange thing you are,

You come and go, your brief absence makes the world seem normal again

then; without warning you swallow me whole and freeze me.

On the floor I dropped and on the phone I cried.

The strangest situations they’ve been,

The most obscure and unexpected, yet it’s happened, and all’s distorted.

Yet I can’t just sit there,

I can’t hide,

I can’t think about it for longer than 5 minutes.

Both times I’ve gone out and drank.

Not to hide the sorrow,

But to talk, laugh, and know that there is happiness,

Then the quilt overwhelms me “I shouldn’t be out, I should be in bed.”

When really all I can do is write,

Trying linguistically to communicate how I feel.

To say I am ok, that I will be ok.

You’re a part of life, but a shit one at that.

Yours Lauren.

The Important Relationship Between Creativity and Mental Health

In an attempt to encourage talking about Mental Health, creativity is being used as it always has done, as an outlook to express feelings, coming from those who are directly suffering from Mental Health Issues. With so many different techniques available: painting, drawing and writing, we are not short of ways of doing it. Whether being creative intends to raise awareness or is merely just used as an express of relief, it’s important to realise how much creativity is playing a part in making those who may sometimes feel so at lost with themselves, more in control.

I came across Ruby Elliot on World Mental Health Day in an interview with Rethink Mental Health. Elliot is an example where drawing has helped her express how she is feeling and has made for an easier way of demonstrating to people how she was struggling instead of verbally coming out with it. These days we struggle enough to verbally socialise due to technology, but now more than ever we need to be verbal, however, sometimes this isn’t possible due to feeling uncomfortable, so instead we can use alternative ways as Ruby Elliot shows: ” It can be hard enough trying to understand and convince yourself that what you’re going through is real and valid, let alone tell someone else.” Elliot focuses on drawing cartoons as her way of portraying her feelings, although they can be seen as funny, there’s a darker meaning hidden behind the laughter.

You can now get Elliot’s comic book It’s All Absolutely Fine: Life is complicated, so I’ve drawn it instead  on Amazon.

In a different outlook, Panteha Abareshi started creating illustrations when her Mental Health took a decline to look at the complexity of issues in society that can trigger depression and anxiety, rather than inherently her own feelings of Mental Health. Yet again it’s used as a form of expression that helps to translate her nightmares of being a young woman into visual realities for those on the outside. Her work may be dark but it doesn’t conceal anything, the illustrations speak for themselves meaning Abareshi doesn’t have to.

“Hurt me badly” (How do you explain craving physical pain to snuff out the chaos that comes with mental illness?)

mental illness colour swatches

Click on the image to enlarge them.

As artist’s Abareshi and Elliot are pushing the boundaries of not talking about mental health by my making it physically impossible not to see it right in front of you. For some of us it’s easy to shrug off words and change topic when you don’t fully understand what is being expressed, but with drawing and painting you can look at it ten times over just to make sure you understood. Those who talk openly about their mental illnesses should never be confined to fearing that people think they are wanting unneeded attention, instead they should be hailed for their bravery in creating pieces that help others who are less likely to express how they are feeling, as well as helping themselves get through their issues.

London has recently opened an Art Gallery of paintings done only by Mental Health patients, although the concept and idea breaks a lot of rules and can be frowned upon by others who don’t understand its objective, it ultimately aims to exclude being ashamed of mental illness. Talking to DAZED, Ben Wakeling an Art-Therapist and one of the creators of  the Outsider Gallery comments on the creative process of the pieces that can be seen in the Gallery: “They’re not calculated like other art movements, they didn’t understand what they were doing and you can’t (say), “I really want to put the work into an exhibition” because they’ll just be talking at you about King Charles and being his best friend. They’re in their own story and it’s constant. And some of those outcomes, whether it’s music or art-related, visual marks, are so beautiful and I really wanted to start framing the work, hanging it up and telling my mates. The more I got involved in the arts, the more distant I became from art movements. I didn’t realise at the time but there isn’t a mental health gallery in London or a dedicated space for mental health.” take a look at the whole interview on DAZED to see their exclusive view of mental health therapy.

Outsider Gallery

In addition, a mental health magazine named ANXY, hopes to be released in 2017 with the aim of promoting personal narratives through the use of illustrations and photography. “The biggest takeaway that we want readers to have is this sense of connection,” Rojas said, ANXY’s founder and creator, talking to Huffington Post: “This can be a shared experience, but the main challenge is that people rarely talk about it. The magazine will hopefully give those with mental health issues a greater feeling of community.” The magazine will give a different way of reading about Mental Health in comparison to scientific magazines, who may discuss the subject, but using a creative magazine will hopefully make the subject more readable and visual for the readers, therefore, more understandable.

The importance of all these outlets is that they encourage others to seek the help if they need it, through showing that mental health is everywhere, and it affects everyone in one way or another, be that directly or indirectly. As well, even more importantly they create platforms in which people who don’t quite understand Mental Health can learn and better educate themselves to become more comfortable in talking about it.