We’ve hand selected and briefed five artists to create a piece of original artwork that explores links between creativity and mental health which could be based on their personal experiences. We then used their creations to build and design a mini collection that showcases their talent. The artwork on the clothing aims to encourage people to start a conversation and open up about mental health.
Ginko Yang is an illustrator & graphic designer based in Shanghai.
Just graduated from Central Saint Martins, she is still working on imaginary landscapes and the life-long subject of how to chill.
@dginko_y
Lazy Oaf x Time to Change | Ginko Yang
Can you explain to us why you wanted to support the Time To Change campaign with this collection?
As an introvert, I may not easily lean on other people for emotional support even when I really need to. We need private moments to generate ideas and works, but the dark side of staying alone is quite destructive as well. Time To Change offered a chance for me to think through my own experience and come up with a visual expression, which is actually like opening up a conversation to a wider audience. (I’m really looking forward to any response from Lazy Oaf’s adorable community!)
Can you tell us a bit about the design you created & how you came up with it?
The design I’ve made is called Kitty Therapy. Getting used to the convenience of smart life, young people nowadays tend to be antisocial. They would highly prefer going back home for their pets, instead of any human beings around them. This results in another circle of isolation.
I intend to remind people of the magic of making real connections with other human beings.
Has creativity provided an outlet for you during lockdown?
It definitely has. Creativity has actually always been an outlet for my casual anxiety. It fills up most of my spare time, saves me from boredom. Also sharing works with friends has been triggering many nice conversations and encounters (both online and offline), which make me feel good and very much motivated. I feel like the effect is not so different from before during lockdown, just enhanced. But definitely helpful.
Can you tell us a bit about your personal experience of mental health and creativity?
From one of the spare sketches from this case I created Ping Pong, an illustration depicting twin figures playing with 10 ping pong balls at the same time, each of them stands for one “big issue” in life. When playing the game one has to handle all of them. I was just trying to express a personal feeling, to my surprise, I was told by many people that they resonate with the emotion. I feel good about such connections. In this case creativity kind of became a healing power.
Why do you think it is so important to keep opening up conversation and talking about mental health issues?
I think our emotions and feelings are like some delicate plants or ocean animals. If we don’t talk about them, they would remain sealed inside a box. But it is actually very important to sometimes open the box and let in some fresh air. We need to talk about these little problems to keep ourselves healthy.
What kind of attitudes would you like change surrounding mental health?
Suppression.
