Abstract
Art in its practice and in its appreciation is a way of expressing one’s background, social distinction, political point of view, sense of beauty and personal struggles. It is also considered a way to relax and become creative. The use of art in the mental health sector has a lengthy history and has been authorised as a way of relaxing the brain and focussing on something that is not part of the day-to-day struggles of life. Art has been frequently used as part of the patient/artist’s journey towards recovery by using their art as a form of self-help. This help has been for both mental problems, and the social challenges which people who live with an unwanted mental illness face such as alienation and discrimination. This ethnographic project considers the anthropological term ‘liminality’ in relation to the uptake of art as the development of an artistic identity. The project also suggests the value of liminality theory as a potential theoretical connection between the states of suffering, and healing of mental health issues by engaging with art as therapy. I worked with nine participants drawn from the Taranaki area of New Zealand who were part of (or closely connected to) the local art community and I engaged with them via zoom interviews, emails, attendance at local art shows and exhibitions, and as a fellow contributor to the emerging artists’ scene. My particular focus was on the identity shift that people undergo from being a ‘hobby’ artist to an ‘artist’ – often accomplished through the first sale of a painting or other artistic creation and sometimes mediated by the pressure of mental ill-health. The project also explains how people believe that using their ‘creative side’ benefits them while going through ‘tough times’ or simply for personal development.