BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Hey Mate. How’s your mental health?
It’s a question at the forefront of an Australian resource designed to better the lives of arts workers. And through a range of therapy services and wellness programs, it’s also working to provide a positive answer for everyone.
Hey Mate is a social enterprise that brings together music and mental health professionals. Founder Aimee Davies started her career in sound engineering before training to become a counsellor. It’s with this unique perspective that she has tailored a mental health initiative informed by the arts industry and the needs of its workers.
In this interview, we chat with Aimee about how and why she started up Hey Mate, and how you can get started with your own self-care journey.
Aimee, you’re a sound engineer, registered counsellor, and founder of Hey Mate. I’m going to ask you all about this incredible history, and how you got to where you are. But I’d like to begin with your entry into the Australian arts industry. Take us back to how you found a passion for sound engineering, and what you loved about working in the arts when you started out.
Firstly, I am so happy to be chatting with you Steph, thanks for having me!
To be honest, sound engineering was never really on the cards for me. As a child, I was not the most coordinated or sports-orientated, so my parents put me into arts-based after-school activities like piano lessons, drama, and ballet classes. I loved these so much, and continued all the way to the end of school.
But when I finished school, I was rather lost going from the school routine, which I loved, to essentially having no routine. I was also super late with applying for university, so I didn’t have a set plan. My parents gave me two options: either get a full-time job, or find a university course to do. I walked into the arts college with my mum, and picked the first course I thought looked like some fun.
I wouldn’t describe sound engineering as a passion; it was fun, and I enjoyed creating. But looking back, I definitely struggled being in a male-dominated course. All my teachers were male, and I experienced a lot of naivety and imposter syndrome.
Like a lot of creatives, I have dabbled in different projects. But I think my passion will always be in just creating in different mediums, and the live music and performing arts sector. That’s where I find my feel-good feelings. When I am creating or working with a team towards something larger like a production, that’s where I find my passion.
As you continued along your career path, and gained more experience and perspective, what sorts of issues did you start to see arising around you — especially in the area of mental health among artists, and the types of resources that were available?
During my time working in various creative roles, I started to see a lot of anxiety, particularly around performance anxiety, imposter syndrome, depression, burn-out, work-related stress, low self esteem and sleeping problems. These issues are very common to have, and without the right support can lead to an increase in severity.
Unfortunately during this time, there was not a lot of education or support specifically for artists. There was also a strong stigma around mental health, what it meant to experience [mental ill health], and the impacts it could have on your career.
In light of this, you made a bold move and became a registered counsellor. What drove you to take this upon yourself, and make change in the lives of fellow artists?
It wasn’t until I started working part time as a therapy assistant for a national charity that I found myself having discussions with the community about [topics such as] anxiety, self-comparison. Once I had an understanding of mental illness, what it looks like, and how it can feel, it clicked for me: I realised how there was no creative wellbeing support or education whilst studying, how industry professionals wouldn’t disclose to their peers if they were having a hard time in case it impacted their next gig opportunity, and the stigma of mental health.
It really came down to the lack of education, support, and de-stigmatisation needed within the arts to start making a change. Working with some wonderful psychologists and counsellors at the time, it made complete sense that it would be the right path for me.
It sounds like it was coming to a tipping point. When did you want to take your experience in therapy and community services, and launch The Hey Mate Project as its own social enterprise?
You are absolutely right when you call it the “tipping point”. In late 2019, my role within the charity I was working with was coming to an end, and I really wanted to take my skills and apply them to the creative industries. But unfortunately, there were limited options. I found there were some wonderful individual practitioners who worked alone, and large charities. But there were no mid-tier organisations where I could work within a team.
After searching high and low, I found the organisations I was seeking were overseas in the United Kingdom and America. I reached out to a couple of these organisations, with one being Music & You run by Jack Williamson. Jack was immediately gracious with his time and support, emailing back and forth with me about the work he was doing, — including an initiative providing support at live events called Livelive with Lewis Capaldi, which inspired one of Hey Mate’s first support offerings, LEWP [Live Event Wellbeing Program] — and I am happy to say Jack and I still keep in touch today.
It was not long after, with a little support from friends, family, and community members I made the decision that if you can’t find it, build it. And I took the leap to start Hey Mate; scary — but I am stoked I did it.
How would you describe the original mission of Hey Mate, and how would you place this in the context of today’s pandemic-affected arts industry?
Honestly, the original mission was to show up; be inclusive, accessible, and start a conversation to help people feel good, however that may look for the individual.
Placing that in today’s industry, I’d like to think we are still continuing what we set out to do, perhaps with some bumps along the way, a few more friends, and a little more reach.
It’s clear that the past few years have been challenging, at the very least, for our community. But I am an optimist, and I am excited to see the fresh sprouts of creativity that will come soon — kind of like fresh greenery sprouting after a bushfire. It will take time, but it is there, and one day it will thrive again.
So how have you worked to design programs that can meet such a wide range of mental health needs and training, for individuals as well as arts organisations?
We have had an ability to grow with our community.
I am not in a hurry to be the biggest organisation of them all. We have a wonderful community that lets us know what they need. We have a talented team that has creative industry experience, which allows us to take our programs to another level. We strive for accessibility and inclusion.
I am so lucky to have some wonderful mentors, and a community that allows collaboration and inclusion for community over competition.
Our creative industry’s mental health and wellbeing sector is growing with some amazing individuals and organisations, so I am excited to see what wonderful resources come available in the future.
To arts workers who are reading this and may want to explore your resources, where should they start?
Great question. Navigating resources can be daunting and a little scary, but Hey Mate is like talking to a friend. A simple email or phone call, with a little bit about yourself and what you’re currently looking for, and we can give you a wonderful list of recommendations — whether it’s booking in a time to get matched with a therapist to speak to, finding out the next dates for our mental health first aid courses with creative industry insights, or help getting some support for your organisation.
Thank you Aimee. Before we say goodbye, in the spirit of self-care, what is one thing you are going to do for yourself today?
For me, the act of de-roling is a must. As artists, or whatever your day job, [de-roling is] the notion that what we do is not who we are. Spending time as yourself is so important to keep grounded, resilient, and have humility.
So the thing I am going to do for me today is stretch my legs, and take my puppies down the beach, and disconnect to reconnect.
Visit the Hey Mate website to explore its full range of mental health resources for Australian arts workers.
If you are in need of mental health support, you can also call the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline on 1800 959 500, Lifeline on 13 11 14, or contact your GP
Featured image by Tetiana SHYSHKINA on Unsplash.
