Made of Millions Shines Light on Shame and its Effect on Mental Health and Wellness in New “Shame Shouldn’t Be a Symptom” Collage Art Campaign Featuring Up and Coming Artist Ian Woods

NEW YORK, May 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Made of Millions, the global advocacy nonprofit whose mission is to change how the world perceives mental health, today unveiled its newly commissioned collage art campaign, “Shame Shouldn’t Be a Symptom,” featuring up-and-coming collage artist Ian Woods that aims to explore how shame can distort our perception of self. The branding for the new campaign is “When it comes to our mental health, shame shouldn’t be a symptom.”

The “Shame Shouldn’t Be a Symptom” (SSBAS) campaign will marry the concept of Wood’s work while representing the journeys of these four mental health advocates - Entrepreneur, Advocate & Made of Millions Board Advisor Crystal Anderson; Writer, Creative Equity Consultant, and Well-being Advocate Jezz Chung; Chief DE&I Officer at BBDO, Lives of Men Founder & Made of Millions Board Advisor Jason Rosario; OCD Sufferer, Advocate & Made of Millions Board Advisor Windsor Flynn - plus video edits and featured articles of their stories that reflect their journey from shame to advocacy. The SSBAS campaign includes out-of-home elements throughout different areas of New York City, which began on May 1st via support from SEEN Outdoor. The campaign will also explore the transformative healing power of art therapy by featuring the works of Ash Rucker, Founder of Therapart.

Campaign partners include Vienna-based gallery, Improper Walls, which is running an exhibition based on the campaign throughout May; disability advocacy company, Diversability; artist Aaron Ramey; advocate and LMFT Alegra Kastens; international OCD non-profit OCD Gamechangers; Islam and mental health project, Brave Mind; Stu Ralph of OCD Stories, among others.

“We are excited about our collaboration with Ian Woods and the four mental health advocates who are sharing their own stories on shame and the effect it’s had on their mental health. Shame is a terrible feeling and only exacerbated with all the issues we are globally facing from the pandemic to social and racial injustice, to joblessness and hopelessness. It’s our hope with this new campaign that we can put a brighter spotlight on shame and how we can help support one another in navigating through our own mental health issues,” said Anastasia Kuznetsova, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Made of Millions.

"Shame is a universal emotion, but why and how we experience it varies greatly depending on a person's upbringing, cultural background, and symptomology," said Lauren O’Shaughnessy, Co-Founder and Editor, Made of Millions. "In order to combat shame, we need to discuss the countless ways it can manifest, including those that are taboo and often shied away from. Candid storytelling and psychoeducation help us break down barriers to recovery and better understand cross-cultural suffering.”

Shame & Mental Health
The current global COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with systemic racism, a sharp downturn in the economy, domestic terrorism, joblessness, hopelessness, and crippling anxiety, have contributed to an increase in overall mental health issues, substantiated by a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Report. According to the KFF report “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use,” during the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder. In comparison, approximately one in ten adults reported these symptoms from January to June 2019.

According to Dr. June Price Tangney, Professor of Clinical Psychology at George Mason University, people who have a propensity for feeling shame often have low self-esteem. Dr. Tangney is the co-author of Shame and Guilt.

Further, in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle herself said she felt shame and extreme mental health struggles during her pregnancy with her son Archie.

Background on Ian Woods
With more than 50,000 followers on Instagram, Woods is among the rising figures in the art world. Originally from Chicago, Woods’ approach to art uses a combination of paint to crayons to staples to digital, and a host of other methods. Among some of his notable pieces are those that feature famous figures like Eminem, Rihanna, Drake, to name a few. Woods’ prints tend to sell out quickly when they are made available for purchase to the public.

“It was perfect timing. I had been trying to find ways to deal with my mental health in healthy, productive ways, whether it be with my art or personal life. Creating these pieces allowed me to experiment more with my work in a healthy mind-state. Hearing their stories inspired me a lot because it showed me how they dealt with their mental health struggles,” said Woods.

Background on the Four Mental Health Advocates
Crystal Anderson is the co-founder and head of creative at A Very Good Job, an event production & content house focused on amplifying entertainment entities across film, television, music, and fashion. Anderson is also a Made of Millions board advisor.

In a post for Repeller, Anderson shared her mental health journey and touched upon shame, “I live with OCD and anxiety every single day, but there is no room for shame. I’ve learned that my fight was not mine alone, so know that if you haven’t found the courage to tell your truth, I stand in the gap for you.” On her Instagram account, Anderson has more than 50,000 followers. She currently actively takes her medication on video to destigmatize taking medication for mental health conditions.

Jezz Chung (she/they) is a writer, performer, facilitator, and Creative Equity™ consultant based in Brooklyn, New York. Trained in embodiment practices of breathwork, meditation, and movement, she combines what she calls “tools of magic” through the context of racial trauma and identity development to tap into our Self-healing powers. She began her career in advertising, crafting global campaigns for brands like Apple and YouTube and advising DEIJ (diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice) initiatives at some of advertising’s top agencies in LA and NYC. Since then, she’s facilitated workshops to create cultural transformations at organizations like Facebook, Ethel’s Club, and Skillshare, and has spoken at universities like SCAD, UT Austin, and Columbia about racial equity, identity, creativity, and well-being. They often share their lived experiences as a queer, neurodivergent, autistic, first gen Korean American to their Instagram community of almost 24,000 people. Their writing has been featured in publications like The Lily, Free The Work, and HuffPost, and they’re currently writing their debut book.

In a Medium post, Chung wrote, “Being raised by a migrant Korean mother who has been in pure survival mode for much of her life, I didn't develop the capacity to process my emotions until my mid-twenties. I was taught early on that expressing emotions was a sign of weakness and having too many feelings was a sign of immaturity. I learned to control my tears of anger or sadness, even in private. But what that did was make me feel ashamed of my sensitivity. I've always been someone who feels often and deeply, and the more I dove into therapy, the more I realized how essential those emotions were to my evolution as a full and whole living being.”

Jason Rosario is the Chief DE&I Officer at BBDO, Lives of Men Founder & Made of Millions Board Advisor. An Afro-Latino native New Yorker, Rosario has spent most of his life breaking down barriers and building up inclusive cultures. He is passionate about innovation and the power of creativity to drive change.

In an interview with America Hates Us, Rosario touches upon his journey with mental health, racism, and what Black men can do about mental health, “Ask for help. There are no excuses anymore. We have everything we need at our fingertips to live healthier lives. The days of bottling things up for fear of appearing weak or soft are over.”

Windsor Flynn is an OCD sufferer, Mental Health Advocate & Made of Millions Board Advisor. Flynn started sharing her voice within the mental health sector after going through severe postpartum OCD with the birth of both her children. Inspired to make sure nobody struggling with intrusive thoughts goes undiagnosed, she started an Instagram account to share her story and educate others on the complexities of OCD.

When it comes to shame and mental health, Flynn noted that sharing her experience with OCD was something she would never wish on her worst enemy. “The worst part of it all was the shame I felt and this belief that I was the only person who could be so awful to imagine these horrific scenarios. The humor part wasn’t planned; it’s just the way I am. I’m glad that the humor has resonated with people because I was scared it would be taken the wrong way. But after all, we need levity to get through something as dark as OCD can be.”

About Made of Millions
Made of Millions Foundation is a global mental health advocacy nonprofit on a mission to change how the world perceives mental health. Its platforms, events, campaigns, and resources reach millions of sufferers worldwide each year. For more information, please visit http://www.madeofmillions.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

About Ian Woods
Ian Woods is represented by Swiss Made Entertainment, a management and production company based in Los Angeles specialized in branded entertainment, graphic design, music, short/long form film and television projects. View more of Ian’s work at www.swissmade.media