Western Australians will soon be encouraged to embrace the arts to enhance their mental wellbeing as part of a world-first, statewide campaign, Good Arts, Good Mental Health.

“The arts ‘dose’ for mental wellbeing has been calculated as two or more hours a week for adults in the general population. This campaign is about making that knowledge accessible and doable for everyone.”

Dr Christina Davies

Building on pioneering, multi-award winning research from The University of Western Australia which is cited in Revive: Australia's National Cultural Policy, the campaign will demystify the arts and help people  improve their mental wellbeing.

According to Dr Christina Davies, Director of the UWA Centre for Arts, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and project chief investigator , you don’t have to be good at art for the arts to be good for you. 

“This campaign is about empowering people to identify, and then do the arts activities that make them feel good, because this could make a difference to their mental health,” Dr Davies said.

“When you say art, people think of painting or drawing, but the arts are so much more, including reading books, listening to music, singing, dancing, colouring, craft, photography, film, sewing, woodwork, and attending live performances.

“As well as being something we do for fun, entertainment or as a hobby, arts engagement increases happiness, joy, relaxation, confidence, self-esteem, and connection to others.

“The arts ‘dose’ for mental wellbeing has been calculated as two or more hours a week for adults in the general population. This campaign is about making that knowledge accessible and doable for everyone.”

The Good Arts, Good Mental Health media campaign launches mid-August, with resources free to view and download from the campaign website or via @goodartsgoodmentalhealth on Instagram and Facebook. 

Good Arts, Good Mental Health has been designed with input from over 3000 community members and made possible thanks to support from the Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund, which is an initiative of the WA State Government, Minderoo Foundation, The Ian Potter Foundation, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, CircuitWest and St John of God Health Care.