I wonder what are the works of art that inspired you towards this arts/health agenda? Or, do certain works impact on your thinking. I gave a paper recently that explores the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry; the happiness industry and the arts. I had to edit such a lot out of it, and this includes a poem by Philip Larkin called, This Be The Verse, which links very much into my thoughts around the pathologising of depression and dissatisfaction with our lot. I'll leave you to work out any subtleties.
This Be The Verse
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the thoughts they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.
