A 4-week program to build a mentally healthy culture, practice, and life in the music industry, presented by Support Act

Working in the music industry poses a unique set of challenges to maintaining our mental wellbeing; while we’re on the road, making something new, recording in the studio and back at home.

In this 4-part series, we will explore the challenges we face at each of these phases, tools that can be used to support us through them, and how to foster our mental wellbeing on a day-to-day basis.

Each workshop is 90 minutes and delivered online to be accessible to participants around Australia.

Final program for the year. Bookings close Thursday 11 November at 9am.

Workshops are hosted 12.30pm-2pm (AEDT):

Workshop 1: On the Road [Wed 17 Nov]
Workshop 2: Making Something New [Wed 24 Nov]
Workshop 3: In the Studio [Wed 1 Dec]
Workshop 4: Day-to-day [Wed 8 Dec]

Each participant receives a Materials Kit with a bespoke Workbook, scrapbook, collage paper, notebook, coloured pencils, POSCA pens and more.

Workshop 1: On the Road

Micro Practices for Mental Wellbeing

Being on the road can be physically and mentally draining. Sometimes we don’t realise that we’re feeling overwhelmed until we’re into the thick of it.

In this session, we’ll explore these challenges and a tool that can help us to notice when we’re moving outside of our normal state of wellbeing. We will develop a plan for noticing and looking after ourselves when we’re not feeling as mentally-well as usual that can help to facilitate us back to feeling our regular selves, and can be just short micro strategies that keep us on the job, but feeling good. We’ll also explore playful, creative writing techniques that we can use as a way to ground us each day with the Australian gem and award-winning author Helena Fox.

Workshop 2: Making Something New

Fostering a Curious Mindset

Getting back to the drawing board to compose a new song or write new lyrics can be immensely challenging as we grapple with expectations and the Inner Critic. But guess what? We can learn to quieten that inner critic through curiousity. In this session, we get curious and get to know our Inner Critic, giving it - literally- a face and name with MARVEL-published comic illustrator Marcelo Baez. We will also explore how to foster a daily composition practice that gives space for failure and innovation.

Workshop 3: In The Studio

Cultivating Good Culture

We make better music together when we feel comfortable taking risks, admitting mistakes, having space to fail and experiment, and trying something new. Psychological Safety is known to be the most important ingredient for a functioning team, and it turns out that building this safety takes the same kind of skills as the creative process.

In this session we will explore how to ‘hack’ a group to be able to work together more effectively in this way. We take a trip around our house and space on a creative excursion, and share with others, with visual artist Sally Ann Conwell.

Workshop 4: Day to Day

Radical Self Care & Mental Health in Action

Just like brushing our teeth, looking after our mental wellbeing is something that needs to happen each day for us to feel at our best. In this session we will explore the variety of daily practices we can choose from to take care of ourselves. We learn why self care is definitely NOT bubble baths, and why it IS vital, non-negotiable moments of each and every day, essential for all humans. Radical, huh?

We will also break out an inspiring journal, writing and drawing tools, to try out creative journaling with visual artist Mel Young as a daily practice for ourselves. We will also make a plan for our daily practice that we can use to ground ourselves as we change from being on the road, to in the studio or back at home again.

Each program is limited to 40 participants

MakeShift is an education and support agency committed to creativity and mental health. In the past 7 years, over 10,000 people have taken part in over 300 workshops. MakeShift has worked with organisations like AAM, AMP, Hub Australia, Employsure, Support Act, Atlassian and Quickbooks.

Got a question? Give MakeShift a shout on hello@makeshift.org.au

This program is supported by the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts