Young creatives managing mental health

EXPOSED (ADJECTIVE) IN A VULNERABLE POSITION OR SITUATION. NOT COVERED, SHELTERED, PROTECTED OR HIDDEN; VISIBLE.

To be EXPOZED one should be open to being the authentic version of themselves. We believe in expressing our emotions through art and all other forms of creativity. Our community is open to everyone who wants to be a part of something but doesn't know where to start. EXPOZED provides a wide variety of options and services to help make things a little easier for you!

MENTAL HEALTH (NOUN) A PERSON’S CONDITION WITH REGARD TO THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMO- TIONAL WELL-BEING.

Several studies have shown a link between various mental health problems and having a creative brain. Many famous artists have struggled with their mental health— Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh, and Sylvia Plath, an American poet, novelist and short-story writer, are just a two examples of mental health resulting in suicide.

According to one Stanford University study published last year in “The Journal of Affective Disorders” People who have a creative mind, often share more personality traits (Anxiety, Bi Polar tendencies, Depression etc.) with the mentally ill than people in less creative pursuits.

Expozed Exhibit Events explains how they are helping young creatives overcome Mental Health in the GTA.

Luso Life: What is Expozed Exhibit Events and why did you create it?

Expozed Exhibit Events: Expozed Exhibit Events started off as a visual arts pop-up exhibit to showcase our personal collections. As young, female artists, managing our own mental health, we noticed there weren’t enough communities offering a platform for creatives to express their messages and stories freely. So we decided to create one. After the success of our first show, we began reaching out to creatives eager to showcase their work and venues that were interested in collaborating with us. Being our own boss, responsible for overcoming the milestones involved in owning a start-up company has helped us manage business, financial and social skills that influence personal decisions, aside from Expozed.

LL: Does Expozed Exhibit Events only cater to visual artists?

EEE: It did, at first! The original plan was to do one show and move onto the next project. Since we launched last year, we have expanded our platform to photographers, poets, comedians, ceramic artists, fashion designers and we aren’t done yet! We just had our first fashion show in September and it was such a perfect evening! The collection was really cool.

LL: What are your personal experiences with mental health? Has Expozed Exhibit Events helped you manage it?

EEE: One of the issues we both have trouble with is time management which leads to feeling anxious. Between juggling work, school and a social life, Expozed has become our common ground, our personal happy place for creating. We are able to take a break from everything else going on in our lives and create experiences with some pretty amazing people. The rush of satisfaction we feel after a show is hard to explain. It really feeds our soul.

LL: How does art help you overcome anxiety/mental health?

EEE: We believe that expressing ourselves and our emotions through art is a form of therapy. Recreating our personal and inner fantasies can help heal past trauma and make the current reality seem easier to deal with. There was a time where we thought art would never get us anywhere in life. The truth is, creating and hosting these events is the most satisfying thing either of us has done in a very

Expozed Exhibit Events hosted their first Fashion Show on Sunday September 15th, 2019. It featured a one of a kind collection of hand picked, reworked pieces by local designer, Lauren Novak.

Luso Life: At what age did you discover your passion for design?

Lauren Novak: I was 9 when I discovered my passion was sewing. I used to take sewing lessons every Wednesday for an hour and it was the the best hour of my week. When I turned 13, I decided that I wanted to design for a living.

LL: How did you come up with the name Remark? How has the brand evolved?

LN: I have no idea how I came up with the name Remark but 15 years later it still represents the same thing. Reducing, reusing and recycling one thing to make another. 2017 was the year when things really started coming together. I started focusing my energy into my craft more than ever before. It was a result of the people I surrounded myself with. Hard working creatives who help fuel my inspiration. By the end of 2017, I started collaborating with Vintage 905, reworking their vintage pieces into more femme friendly items. Working with them inspired me to create my own reworked pieces. Currently, I make custom pieces for clients and most recently started making 1 of 1 collections with my best friend sierra for our collaboration ‘lokeycozy’. You can watch the entire rework process from start to finish on my instagram @remarkbylauren.

LL: You were involved in a fashion show recently? How did that go? Describe the collection for us!

LN: The Fashion show was a success! When Expozed Exhibit approached me to design a 1 of 1 collection out of their t-shirt line, I thought about what it meant to be exposed. I was inspired by breaking away from social norms. I used string and roope in each piece to show the message of allowing yourself to let go, to literally be exposed. Sierra did an amazing job turning my pieces into outfits and the models looked amazing! The entire collection is now available online at expozedexhibitevent.com

LL: How does being creative through design help you manage your mental health?

LN: Some people go to gym to release stress. I clear my thoughts through sewing. When I am alone with my machine, I am able to recenter myself and my thoughts. I can spend hours at my workspace without noticing. It’s a form of meditation for me. I think it’s important that I’ve decided to work in a field where I am able to do what I love but also help the environment by recycling items and creating something new with them.

WORDS: CLAUDIA TAVARES

PHOTOS: FELICE TRINIDAD