Independent Arts and Minds is a new organization that is currently running weekly creative sessions for adults living in Dereham, England who are suffering from stress, anxiety and/or depression.

A team of professional community artists with a wide range of specialist areas including sculpture, film and performance lead the friendly, informal drop-in sessions.

Some of the work produced will be showcased in public exhibitions, performances and screenings, providing an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health issues in the community, break down stigma, and promote the role of creativity in helping people to recover from mental ill health and stay well.

The project also aims to collaborate with other community groups in both making and exhibiting work, thus reducing the isolation people suffering from mental ill health are known to experience particularly in rural areas.

James Mortram is a Carer and Social Documentary Photographer in the East of England. Second Place World Digital Photographer of the Year 2009. Published and exhibited in UK, featured in the Guardian newspaper and the BBC Website.  See more of Jim’s work on Flickr by clicking here.  We also want to credit Tilney 1, a member of Independent Arts and Minds, the subject of Jim’s portraits above, and the creator of the artwork above. Please see more of Tilney 1’s work on Flickr by clicking here.

We’re glad to have Jim here as our guest. When he told us that he and the IAM group are working on a new project involving “mutual documentary photography”, we invited him back to have its premiere showing here on aamora. Watch for it!