Joining Healthy Concerts Network (HCN) has been a great thing for me personally.. During the time I have worked with the group I have been accepted, and accepted my self, as an artist, poet and performer... All these roles were new to me but give me immennse pleasure and have helped heal me from a lot of mental distress. I have always been interested in Mental Health and through the Network have had the chance to be healed and see the healing that others can have too through the HCN idea. It may sound fanciful but when I (as a service user myself) work with mental health service users in the Bristol area, the HCN makes things come alive.. The empowerment, the lack of predjudice, the acceptance and welcoming of diversity; all these are at the heart of HCN, along with the wonderful variety of music and performance.
I have been working with the Healthy Concerts Network for a few years now and whats important to me about the ideas that we as a group promote, is that they are all human scale, green and have at heart the pleasure and love that comes from people really finding themselves and what they want to do... This probably sounds a bit abstract and fey but really its the most practical and wonderful thing to see people who are truly alive and joyous in their diversity. The community of artists (in any media) is such a special one and has lots to offer in helping and stimulating some of the changes that are so deeply needed by people like me.
I offer HCN poetry/spoken word performance and varoius bits of creative pieces including this year, a naughty performance designed to push peoples limits (gently and with repect), an art performance using knitting as a medium. I also act as a HCN mentor in the Bristol Area for Healthy Concerts themselves. Check www.healthyconcerts.com/whats_on to find my gigs.
I put on 7 concerts in 7 days for Mental Health Week last year and am oganisising a big bash for World Mental Health Day this year - October 10th 2007

Type	Name	Size	Uploaded
	2_2_chi_peace.mp3	435K	Tuesday 6th January 2009