The Mission
We are a platform dedicated to capturing, reflecting and communicating the human condition as it relates to mental health. Through the inimitable lens of creative expression, we share the stories of the human experience, the trials and tribulations, the struggles and victories, the inevitable failures and adaptations that come with healing the mind. Generating a profound understanding of self and others, media and the arts are a unique and irreplaceable means through which we can communicate and come to deeply appreciate and share in others’ experiences in ways in which conventional approaches can fall flat and lifeless.
Founded by leaders in the field of mental health, we know the depth and power of creativity in conveying the reality of living with, caring for, or healing from, mental disorders and challenges. Here, we bring creators and collaborators together to catalyze profound insights, share in lived experiences, and drive deep connections across a broad spectrum of perspectives. Here, we are pushing the boundaries of mental health, rewriting the narrative, and telling the true and emotive story of the human condition.
JOIN US AND CREATE.
Co-Founder & Executive Director
GRANT H BRENNER MD DFAPA, BOARD CERTIFIED PSYCHIATRIST & PSYCHOANALYST
Art, music, and the moving image have been a part of my life since before I can remember. From a young age, I was exposed to creative work, with vivid memories of my mother collecting and producing art and organizing exhibitions while at the same time struggling with the cancer which would soon take her life. It is then that I found art and poetry as a crucial practice in allowing myself to process this deep seated trauma and articulate it in ways that my spoken words could not. One of my most poignant memories from this time is seeing the winter sun shining through bare trees on a cold afternoon, and realizing how nature and the human body reflect and mirror the same lines and the same harmony. In this moment of aesthetic awakening, a wonder of nature and a profound curiosity of science and the physical body was instilled. Now a photograph in my minds eye, this early awakening has served as a beacon in my life, driving my curiosity of nature and knowledge, and shaping my sense of connection with existential and individual experience.
As a privately practicing psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in New York City, I have seen – and experienced - the powerful impact that creative expression has on those experiencing mental health challenges. As a physician, I ground myself in the lived experience of the people with whom I work, seeking to understand their various perspectives, decipher deeper meaning, and identify strategies and solutions to unlock developmental potential. Understanding medicine and neuroscience augments this subjective understanding, providing insight into how to facilitate the work through both traditional approaches as well as cutting edge interventional psychiatric tools such as transcranial magnetic stimulation. But nothing gives me more insight into the perspective of the mind than a person’s creative expression of self. Brilliantly emotive and deeply intuitive, it serves as a catalyst for how we see and understand ourselves, our culture, and our own constructed worlds.
In many respects, I view living as an artistic expression, each persons’ life and psyche a unique canvas. I see artistic expression not only as a crucial personal experience, but an ineluctable way for people to connect with and understand one another, wordlessly. Creation—the artistic impulsion—is essentially pre-linguistic. Art and media, while often incorporating language, tap in this most basic form of communication through gesture and action. The most powerful and intrinsically emotive creativity often is in response to deep suffering and trauma, and is a way to work with, share and transcend terrible experiences. Like dreams, art is a way to understand and breathe life into unconscious and unformulated experience, and is inherently both personal and social.
“Creation is often at least partly in response to suffering and trauma, and a way to work with, share and transcend terrible experiences. Like dreams, art is a way to understand and breathe life into unconscious and unformulated experience, and is inherently both personal and social.”
Co-Founder & Creative Director
SANDER KOYFMAN MD MBA, BOARD CERTIFIED PSYCHIATRIST IN ADOLESCENCE & ADDICTION MEDICINE
Growing up in the dying years of the Soviet block, my formative teenage years were punctuated by passing on of yet another “fearless leader” – with sense of indifference and decay in the air.
In this time of societal turbulence and trauma, arts and culture thrived as a voice of provocation, change, and hope. There were two cultural streams – official and the subversive real culture, the one experienced by the people. Artists and their admirers knew of the government imposed boundaries of which not to cross – or cross at their peril – which nurtured a sincere admiration and appreciation for those brave enough to have a voice and speak the truth. No matter who you were, all knew of the silent code of respect and hushed praise of a museum or gallery visit, a deep and unifying admiration for theater, opera and music that told the stories of the people. The intrinsic understanding that stood behind art and culture of the time served as a powerful counterbalance to the Socialist norms, and it broke social and cultural barriers in a way that nothing else could have.
My deep appreciation for the impact that artistic expression has had on my own life, and on those living with mental illness, is certainly colored by seeing how arts and culture can give voice to those deprived or limited from other means to be heard.
As a practicing psychiatrist working with adolescents, I draw upon the use of creative expression to help find their voice. I see them produce incredible art, everyday. Rich with significance and meaning, the act of creating gives each person a channel to speak their truth, tell their story, and connect a culture, leading them towards a greater freedom, and greater good.
“All great art is revolutionary because it touches upon the reality of man and questions the reality of the various transitory forms of human society.”