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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
MIN READ
Support Act is a charity providing crisis relief services to artists and creative industry workers in Australia via the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline. Here, Support Act discusses their podcast Outside In, a series dedicated to honest reflections from the heart of Australia’s creative community, featuring industry professionals talking about experiences with mental health and wellbeing in their respective fields.
Outside In is a podcast delving into the hidden depths of Australia’s creative industries and shining a light on the mental health journeys of artists, performers, musicians, and writers. Hosted by creative powerhouse, Jess Macc, each episode shares honest and inspiring conversations about the challenges and triumphs of life in the arts, reminding us that behind every creative success story is a human one.
In the latest episode, multi-award-winning author and ASA member Holden Sheppard (Invisible Boys, The Brink, King of Dirt) shares how growing up gay in a country town, and later navigating the anxieties and isolation as a touring author, led him to seek support from crisis helplines.
‘I’d like to normalise [seeking help] for creatives, especially blokes. Societally, temperamentally, we don’t tend to reach out. I’m always trying to normalise it as, it’s just a phone call to say to someone ‘I’m not doing very well’, and by the end of that call you’ll most likely, almost definitely, be feeling a little bit better,’ Holden says in the episode.
Reflecting on the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline, Holden says, ‘It’s fantastic that the helpline is now available to all creatives, not just to music. It means writers like myself and people across the arts can reach out to a tailored and specific resource and get help from someone who gets it.’
He adds, ‘Finding your tribe as an artist is often finding someone who understands the specific challenges you’re going through, and to have a dedicated helpline for that is probably going to change and save some lives.’
If you’re working in the arts and need support, the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline is free, confidential, and available 24/7 on 1800 959 500. Dedicated support for LGBTQI+ creatives is also available by selecting option 2 when calling the helpline. For dedicated support for First Nations creatives, press option 3.Watch or listen to Holden’s story on Outside In.
