The March edition of Muses – the arts blog from BJPsych International – features a piece by Dr Dami Ajayi, Commissioning Editor, who reflects on two years of Muses.

When the editorial board of BJPsych International acceded to the launch of a web-based monthly arts blog, I volunteered as the commissioning editor. I did this partly because I already straddled the worlds of psychiatry and the creative arts. But also because it was an opportunity to be a part of something new.

That was two years ago. How time flies!

Muses has published twenty-four posts, every month in the last twenty-four months. We have featured profiles of artists whose works have appeared on the journal’s cover (thank you, Dr Tim McInerny). We have published reviews of books and films about psychiatry disorders. We have published a speculative piece about dental hygiene and Ayinla Omowura, a deceased Nigerian musician. We have published a piece on the Adinkra symbols and mental well-being. We have interviewed film director, Nora Awolowo, whose award-winning documentary Baby Blues: Trials of Childbirth confronts issues of maternal mental health. We have published articles about mental illness and the therapeutic power of creativity written by experts by experience. We have published writings about the redemptive power of community, friendship, and resilience. We have also published articles on adverse childhood experiences, the negative impact of carer burden and the punishing nature of carer guilt.      

These articles, often written from the first-person perspective, are by individuals operating within the creative arts. This aligns with the blog’s brief to “highlight international art and artists, particularly from low-and-middle-income countries, with a focus on mental health.”  In commissioning and editing these pieces, they often go beyond the blog’s mission to find an interface between mental health and the arts. They are unadorned, vulnerable, gracious in their openness, and tell a deeply human story that inspires hope. Our focus may be mental health, but the thrust of writing is toward mental well-being.

Contributing to Muses has been inspiring for our authors and a learning experience for me as an editor. I have seen firsthand the therapeutic power of creativity unperturbed by the fragility of minds. Many of our contributors yearn for platforms and safe spaces to commune with each other, to borrow Dolapo Ogedenge’s words, where they could be “alone together.” 

It occurred to me that these spaces could be physical and virtual. I hope Muses is one such space. 

Welcome to Muses – the arts blog from BJPsych International. This new blog aims to highlight international art and artists, particularly from low-and-middle-income countries, with a focus on mental health. We welcome submissions for consideration, such as, comments on artwork, visual arts, literature, drama, films, podcasts, and videos. Do have a look at the instructions for blog authors for details on how to submit. General enquiries about the blog: BJPInternational@rcpsych.ac.uk

Dr Marinos Kyriakopoulos, Editor-in-Chief, BJPsych International.