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Hi everybody, I'm Katy Fryd and I'm an artist and I've sold and exhibited in London, the
UK and also sold work internationally online. I also make the youtube series 'How to be
a successful artist' and I'm also the author and illustrator of 'The Cat Inspector' children's
book and the creator of this new book which I can't give you the title, I can't give you
the whole title at the moment as it is top secret but I will be revealing it soon, before
I tell you more about the book please don't forget to click the follow button above this
video and register with the site as I will be sending updates and details of new rewards
for this project during the campaign. Please check out the review below from the lovely
Jonny Benjamin, award winning mental health campaigner and BBC3 TV presemter and you have
probably seen him more recently on national and international television as part of his
'Find Mike' campaign. Now one of the most important things for an artist is the ability
to produce work, if you keep it all in your head, no one can see it, appreciate it and
more importantly for your survival, they can't buy it and the biggest killer of production
for an artist is depression. I've experienced depression myself and I know how much it can
affect you and I know it doesn't help to have a lot of negativity around you and actually
you need some supportive voices. Sometimes you can get those supportive voices from books
and I've read books that have really helped to motivate me but I've also learned things
through my own journey as an artist and I felt I really wanted to share these things
with others. I have many super talented friends who seem stuck and unable to create anything
and I wanted to give them some encouragement and suggest ways to get better and that had
helped me and then I realized I could reach so many more people if I put this down in
writing in a book. I've always wanted to be an artist, ever since I was little I've followed
what I thought was the right path, through art exams, college, and then I went to Uni
and then I had a child and my life completely changed, I shut art completely out of my life
because I had to be a good mum, a good provider but depression set in and it was deep depression.
My identity was lost, my goal, my dreams were so far away. I felt like I was never going
to reach them now so why bother, my life had changed forever. Unfortunately my kids weren't
enough of a reason for me to want to stay alive. I had group therapy and counselling
but I refused medication. I'm not advocating that, it was a personal choice but I was looking
for an alternative. I was lucky, I remember my brother, and he doesn't even remember saying
this but he said to me, just do one thing each day that brings you a little bit closer
to happiness and so I did and I painted his words on a canvas really crudely, I put a
response along the bottom, this is my one thing. And this book is about me sharing that
message with others to help them get better. I'd realized my one thing was my love of art
and I started drawing again. I started out by doing some simple pen drawings about how
I was feeling at the time and I just happened to visit the mind website and spot some information
about an exhibition that they were putting on with a theme of depression. I'd made these
pen drawings already and they suited this exhibition perfectly all I had to do was pop
them in an envelope, post them off to the people organizing it and that was all I had
to do. The work that came from all over the UK was exhibited in the Truman brewery in
Brick Lane in London and I felt amazing! I had no idea at this point, how to get work
into a gallery and suddenly after years of avoiding art I realized how important it was
to my life and I didn't even have the money to see the private view, I didn't even see
this exhibition but it didn't matter. I was so thankful to be a part of it and I'm really
grateful to the Mind charity for organizing it, as it really changed my life and attitude
from that point forward. I realized that this was what I really truly wanted to do in my
life and now I just needed to find out how and it's those drawings that I made at that
time that make up the images in this book. When I started drawing I was not able to create
anything other than simplistic black pen drawings but because I started and I started getting
healthier and getting all that stuff out of my head and working things out, I started
to paint with more colour and I was finally managing to paint a portrait again and then
went to work with vibrant colours and silk painting and then I illustrated a book and
all these things, all these amazing productive things would have been completely impossible
in the depths of my depression. I've struggled through the doubt and despair and I have started
to align myself with my dreams. I've learnt a few things since that time and I wanted
to share those things with others so I have put in a few handy tips for fledgling artists.
Rather that it being a dull and dreary book. I believe in what Mary Poppins said, that
a spooonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. SO it is done with a lot of humour and
silliness but a serious message underneath. That exhibition really changed my life and
I suddenly wanted to find out how to be an artist. How the art world works and I've started
a youtube channel 'how to be a successful artist' because once you have broken through
the barrier of production, part of the problem is not knowing how to get from point a to
your dream goal at point b. Once you've read my book and you are feeling inspired to create
and become an artist that you always wanted to be you can come and join my facebook community,
sign up to my mailing list, watch my youtube videos about how to achieve real progress
in your business and I will be adding to this all the time as I go through my journey, my
own journey and the journey of others as well. I really believe you need to help yourself
as much as possible, because let's face it, the mental health service in this country
is not great and you are not going to get a good service and maybe you are caring for
someone who is not very well and if you can give them something that can inspire them
just to start doing something just little by little they are probably going to get further
than they will with the current mental health service. That is not to say you shouldn't
seek help from them at the same time because you should but if you can help yourself too,
you are going to get better faster. I know what it is like to give yourself permission
to do something creative. I gave a copy to a friend who is a writer and he said it really
helped him to focus, he was feeling really doubtful and low and it made him really think
about what he wanted in life and why he needed to just go for it and then he started writing
with a clearer end goal in sight and I wanted to help bring this book to more people. I
know that when I started drawing again, I still had responsibilities, I couldn't be
a full time artist, I still only had small amounts of time, I still had a young family
but these videos that I make help direct you with the small amount of time you have to
make sure that you are making the most of it. This book is about taking you from the
point of paralyzing depression where you are so afraid you just can't create a thing, through
to giving the reader the permission and the confidence to just start and giving further
advice on how to find their path in life. Not everyone wants to be a world famous artist
I do, but I understand not everyone does. Some people just want to make a living and
support their family and make some beautiful work. I'm raising money to publish this book,
not only online but also for people who don't like computers, or don't have easy access
to them and I want it to be out there in the bookshops. At the moment I'm heading for an
October/November publishing date, so please look at the rewards to the side of the video
that you can give to. You can get my book and there is also a small number of tickets
available to the launch party. Or if you are a business, we can discuss one of the advertising
options as this book is for artists mainly, perhaps you have a product that you want to
advertise specifically to artists. Perhaps you might know someone who might benefit from
this book, please send them the ink or buy a copy for them, nothing like giving the gift
of inspiration and honestly when I was in the depths of depression I don't think I would
have had the money or inclination to get a book like this, so perhaps if you know someone
or have a loved one, or a good friend who you know has talent but just needs a push
to get going - please purchase this book for them! And don't forget to follow the campaign
to get updates of the new rewards, if you or someone you know has depression, don't
let your life or the life of a loved one, keep going the way it has been, I believe
we are unique and we have gifts to improve other's lives and as artists and creators
we have something to say or give to others that is important. Start taking some steps
towards happiness. Get this book, commit to reading it, start improving your life, start
improving the quality of your life and you will find you too can have a positive impact
on those around you with the amazing things that you create. Lots of love to you all and
thank you for listening - goodbye!