The Crazy Project is an art project committed to telling the stories of mental health survivors and supporters using images and words.  Created by artist Sarah May Taylor, The Crazy Project aims to help change perceptions about mental illness in Canada. She Does The City caught up with Taylor to find out more.

SDTC: We’ve seen an uptick of interest in mental health issues with the recent #BellLetsTalk campaign. What more needs to be done?

SMT: It is great to see a national spotlight on mental health but I definitely agree with the criticism that we need to spend more than just one day a year paying attention to something that affects so much of us. I would actually say that mental health affects ALL of us, not just the 1 in 4 that is often mentioned. Mental health is important because HEALTH is important. If we’re not suffering directly we all know someone who is.

I think a more holistic view of health is necessary as well as a focus on prevention. I am in no way a mental health expert, but I do know that we are in desperate need for treatment facilities and improved access to care. This project is focusing on reducing stigma. I feel like having more of us talking about mental health will show policy makers that the issue needs a lot more attention.

SDTC: You were deeply affected by your mother’s schizophrenia. What was it like growing up with a parent who had mental health issues? 

SMT: My mother began showing signs of suffering from schizophrenia before I was born, and because of her illness we had a pretty tumultuous relationship from the very start. She did her best to care for my younger sister and I, and was as loving as any mother could be, but was ultimately unable to care for us. We both left her home around the age of seven.

I definitely knew that she wasn’t like the other mothers. What hurt the most was knowing that she was unable to make good choices for herself and create the life that she deserved. As a teenager I remember having to call the police to take her to the hospital to receive care, because she refused to go on her own.

Sarah May Taylor's mother, Wendy Douglass

Sarah May Taylor’s mother, Wendy Douglass

You never really get over those kinds of memories but that pain has turned out to be very inspiring for me. It reminds me that working on something like ‘The Crazy Project’ is important. There was so much stigma towards my mother from both sides of my family and now I realize that it all came from a place of fear. Fear can be a real son of a bitch, but fear we can deal with. Talking about it and telling our stories is one way to do that, at least it has been for me.

I don’t want other children to spent years feeling unloved and being afraid, when in reality people just need understanding, care, and love.

SDTC: You suffered anxiety and depression as a result of losing your mom. How did this manifest itself? 

SMT: I’ve actually had bouts with depression and anxiety all of my life that I just thought were normal. Losing my mother three years ago just ripped everything open and I think I was unprepared for what came out. Grief can often be like a pandora’s box of sorts, and for me that was definitely the case. I was forced to deal with a lot of things I thought I had under control. It was a very difficult time but l’m grateful for that period in my life. I sought out psychological support and did A LOT of yoga. I’m also lucky that at the time I worked for a company who supported my taking time off. It was what I needed at the time and I am grateful for that. I still deal with anxiety and depression but on a manageable level. I still see an analyst to this day and I rely on a clean diet and a lot of exercise. That’s just what works for me.

SDTC: Why has mental illness become such a massive problem in Canada – with 1 in 5 Canadians suffering from it? 

SMT: I think we’re a long way from providing people with availability to care in the way that is truly needed but I’d like to think that a growing focus on mental health is beginning to change that. The stigma is HUGE and it’s very real. We need to start thinking about this as a problem that affects all of us, not just that guy that you step over in the street every morning. What I like about the project is the diversity and the vulnerability of the stories. Honestly, you’d be surprised to find out who in your community is suffering. People you’d never guess in a million years.

SDTC: Why did you decide to call it “The Crazy Project”? What has the response been like so far?

‘The Crazy Project’ title just seemed appropriate since many of us use that term in everyday conversation, without even giving it a second thought. If you think about the different words that are thrown around all time and in media especially, it’s upsetting. Think how it would affect you if you’ve actually been diagnosed with a serious mental health condition and terms like “OCD,” “bipolar,” “schizo,” “sociopath,” and even “anorexic” are being used to basically describe behavior we don’t like. We hear “That person is so OCD” to indicate someone finicky or “Look at how anorexic that girl is” about a lean woman. It’s definitely not helping to reduce stigma and I’m also guilty of it. The title is a way to remind people to pay a little more attention and to be a little more thoughtful.

It’s also interesting that if you look up the word you’ll see that the word either means ‘mentally deranged’ or ‘extremely enthusiastic.’ I think it’s easy to take it out of context and use it to put people down and create more stigma.

So far the response has been really good. The project has been an art project for me. It’s been a way to heal and to continue work as a storyteller while learning more about mental health advocacy. Most people have been referred to the project by word of mouth and that’s been really good. I wanted to incorporate social media more and also take advantage of Bell’s national conversation about mental health, which is why we started connecting with #loveyourselfie.

I don’t want people to feel like they need to have been diagnosed with a serious condition to participate. We are not making light of mental health issues at all, but the point is definitely to open up the conversation more and include everyday people taking about their mental health in an accessible way. The mental health spectrum is broad and wide. I feel like reducing stigma is easier when you see all of these diverse, beautiful people and their individual stories, side by side. I hope we’re building a community.

Learn more at The Crazy Project. Follow on Twitter & Instagram.