Exploring creativity, care and safer spaces
Creative Balance Brings BPOC Mental Health Research to Aberdeen
What makes a creative space feel safe? That’s the question behind Creative Balance, a research project exploring how creativity, wellbeing and racial identity intersect for Black and People of Colour (BPOC) in Scotland.
On 23 September, a group session will take place in Aberdeen as part of the project’s next phase. It’s open to BPOC creatives and cultural workers aged 18 and over, and one of several sessions is being held across Scotland and online.
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Using creativity to talk about wellbeing
This isn’t a standard focus group. Instead of a typical discussion, the session uses creative activities like collage and mapping to help people reflect on their experiences. These approaches can make it easier to explore complex feelings around discrimination, stress or belonging, without needing to explain everything in words.
Participants will receive an aftercare pack, materials to use on the day, and up to two hours of free therapy with vetted BPOC practitioners. Travel costs and lunch are included.
Why this work is needed
The project began in 2023, when a steering group of BPOC artists and healthcare workers came together to share ideas and experiences. They spoke about the lack of culturally relevant mental health support and how much pressure many BPOC creatives face. From those early conversations, three key issues emerged: the need for BPOC-led spaces, economic pressures, and barriers in the wider creative and healthcare systems.
This phase of the project focuses on the first of those: safer spaces led by and for BPOC creatives. Later stages will explore the other two themes in more depth.
Listening first, then building better
Matt Hickman, one of the project’s co-leads, says the work is based on real experiences. “Often there are little, or no, provisions to help support your mental health and wellbeing within the creative industries,” he says. “My hope with this project is that we can not only highlight those barriers, but also discover meaningful practices and changes that can be applied.”
Creative Balance is led by We Are Here Scotland, a group supporting BPOC creatives across the country. They hope that this research will help shift how Scotland’s creative sector understands and supports mental health.
Taking part in Aberdeen
The Aberdeen session takes place on 23 September from 10am to 3pm at a central city venue (details confirmed on sign-up). It is open to BPOC creatives and cultural workers aged 18 and over. If you can’t make that date, there are online options and other ways to be involved.
Other sessions will also take place in Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh and online between late September and early October.
Expressions of interest are open until 1 September. You can apply using the online form here. If you’re not able to access the internet or would prefer to apply by phone, you can call or text 07873 287666. You can also email hello@creativebalance.scot for support.
For those who take part, it’s a chance to speak freely about what it’s really like working in the creative sector in Scotland. The research team is listening, and what they hear could help shape the changes that follow.
