Over the past few years I have been developing the idea for One Woman Hamlet, a mental health awareness piece that uses puppets, Shakespeare, and music to remove the stigma surrounding mental health in our culture. 

These posts will consist of three things:

1. A Mental health article, quote, or song that I found especially interesting that week: Today you get two for the new year!

– Maria Popova’s article on the correlation between mental health and artists:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/07/21/creativity-and-mental-illness/

– In the above article it is shown that many creative people deal with mood disorders, such as depression. Billy Joel, one of my personal favorite artists, has dealt with depression at several points throughout his life.He attempted suicide as a younger artist and wrote this song after the fact- I love it because it’s the most upbeat song to listen to when you need to know it’s okay not to be okay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxjNYvJbgM

2. A new way you can support the show, financially or otherwise.
If you have already donated THANK YOU! You are my hero and I am so grateful. If you feel inclined to share what pops up here, or know of anyone who might have an extra dollar in their pocket to help the show, I invite you to do this as well. This show will be put up for FREE, because I believe that mental health should be accessible to all, and I do need financial help in order to put it up. However, if you cannot donate and would like to contribute in another way, that is perfection! I want each of you as a part of breaking the stigma above all else, and all that takes is being curious about the subject matter. 

Here is the link (Also great to check out if you want more information about the show): https://www.gofundme.com/one-woman-hamlet

3. Lastly, I will enclose some resources. If you, or someone you know, is dealing with depression or other mental triggers (Or you are just curious about mental health), please check out Hope For The Day, an organization that achieves suicide prevention through mental health education and outreach. They have a free mental health survey you can take online, and many other free resources: https://www.hftd.org/geteducated/

If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, don’t be alone/leave them alone and call the National suicide hotline or 911 The number for the National Suicide Hotline is here: 1-800-273-8255 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Available 24 hours everyday.

Thank you for your time and your presence throughout this process. Your time is valuable and it means a great deal that you would share it with me.