The Goo 1
ADHAMH O’CAOIMH Feature It’s a novel idea, suppor
ting the artists who paint the banal mediocrity of our lives in vibrant colour. Minding Creative Minds, founded in 2018, is an incredible organisation working to combat issues faced by Ireland’s spirited creative sector. “If an artist is arriving home from a show in some other county at two in the morning, and is struggling, needing someone to speak to, who do they call?”. This is the question that lay the foundations for the association, and they have answered it by offering a 12 session counselling program, free to anyone working in the Irish Creative Sector through wellness providers, Spectrum Life, and a dedicated 24/7 helpline with a text service and video call opportunities. For short term intervention, this could be revelatory. In a business that rarely comes with a pension plan, or health insurance, or even a salaried role, the myriad failings of Ireland’s mental health systems are a near insurmountable challenge to address. One of the biggest obstacles for people to access quality mental healthcare is financial, and lately more and more, availability. Minding Creative Minds initially sought to offer an ear, or a shoulder. This is quite literally, a potentially life altering path for those working in the often thankless role of working in the Arts. Impressive as this alone would be, they have also been developing other services, from an intensive mentorship program PAGE 34 to offering help in areas as disparate as career, financial and legal advice, to how to go about tackling applications for grants and bursaries. Holding their inaugural summit May just past, the group hosted a rousing success populated by a diverse array of speakers and attendees from across the creative field. Discussing topics as disparate as how to go about achieving funding from councils and the tenuousness of freelancing , to modern career theory, and the all too often overlooked subject of accessibility in venues and avenues for funding for performers, with insightful, enlightening and often troubling discussions from musician Naoise Roo and comedian and advocate Saoirse Smith. Also tabled was the critical matter of safety in the industry from Safe Gigs Ireland Mary Crilly and Workman’s Club alumni and musical artists extraordinaire Vinny Casey and Maria Kelly. The event was an incredibly enlightening affair, bringing together everyone from every rung of the adder in the business of Art for thoughtful, considered discussion on the state of the industry. Shortly afterward, I was lucky enough to speak with co-founder and gentleman, Dave Reid, about what Minding Creative Minds is, who it is for, and what the group have in mind for their laudable, necessary endeavour. His work with esteemed mental health charity, First Fortnight brought him to the realisation that as the group utilised the arts to spark a conversation about mental health, support for the very people making those arts were thin on the ground. “We set about trying to go beyond talking.” David spoke to me about the beginnings of the group, and how something with so ambitious an agenda begins.