Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Country Highlight: The Netherlands
    • If You’re Moving Back Home After Uni …
    • Jane Austen in Lockdown: How her six novels are more relevant than ever
    • All About … Period Poverty
    • My Veggie Journey: How not being strictly Vegetarian is OK
    • Watch with Pride: Your Top TV Picks this Pride Month
    • Globe Trotting on Screen: Your Guide to Summer 2021
    • Struggling to Lose Weight? How to Spot the Signs of a Fad Diet
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Flickr
    Seren
    • News & Politics
      1. Local News
      2. UK News
      3. Uni News
      4. World News
      5. Politics
      6. Comment
      7. Business
      Featured

      SABB Election: The Full Result Breakdown

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Retro? Chip shortage may bring vintage tech to your car.

      May 6, 2021

      Manizha – the artist causing a stir as the Russian representative for Eurovision 2021:

      May 6, 2021

      Starting a Business at University

      April 23, 2021
    • Arts & Culture
      1. Books
      2. Games
      3. Film
      4. Music
      5. TV
      6. Creative Corner
      Featured

      Bangor alumni podcast earns Hollywood cameo & BBC features

      By Amelia SmithMarch 7, 20210
      Recent

      Jane Austen in Lockdown: How her six novels are more relevant than ever

      July 7, 2021

      Watch with Pride: Your Top TV Picks this Pride Month

      May 17, 2021

      Globe Trotting on Screen: Your Guide to Summer 2021

      May 16, 2021
    • Lifestyle
      1. Fashion
      2. Food and Drink
      3. Social
      4. Health and Beauty
      5. Travel
      Featured

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      By Emily ShoultsMay 6, 20220
      Recent

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      May 6, 2022

      If You’re Moving Back Home After Uni …

      August 3, 2021

      All About … Period Poverty

      May 17, 2021
    • Discovery
      1. Science
      2. Environment
      3. History
      4. International
      Featured

      Brewing up a Storm: The History of Guinness

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Manizha – the artist causing a stir as the Russian representative for Eurovision 2021:

      May 6, 2021

      Japan plan to release radioactive water into the ocean

      May 6, 2021

      The link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots

      April 29, 2021
    • Sport
      1. Varsity 2019
      2. Varsity 2018
      3. Varsity 2017
      4. Varsity 2016
      5. Varsity 2015
      6. Varsity 2014
      7. Varsity 2013
        • Varsity 2013 Results
        • Varsity 2013 – In tweets
      Featured

      Bangor Muddogs’ American Football: a young woman finding her place

      By Jade HillMarch 23, 20210
      Recent

      The 48-hour rise and fall of the European Super League

      April 27, 2021

      The European Super League is announced

      April 19, 2021

      Formula 1’s ‘Drive to Survive S3’ is released

      April 7, 2021
    • Students’ Union
      1. Union News
      2. Societies
      3. Volunteering
      4. Clubs
      Featured

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      By Caroline CartmillMarch 17, 20210
      Recent

      Bangor University Feminist Society

      March 30, 2021

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      March 17, 2021

      LGBT History Month in Bangor

      March 4, 2021
    • Issues
      • Current Issue
      • This year’s issues
      • Last year’s issues
      • Seren Archive
      • Seren Teams
    Seren
    Home»Arts & Culture»Creative Corner»Zines: a creative benefit for your mental health
    Creative Corner

    Zines: a creative benefit for your mental health

    Anaiya PatelBy Anaiya PatelFebruary 28, 2021No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Some of you may think of zines and attribute them with black and white images with collages of text all over in order to make art out of zines, but they have a lot of practical uses that we will examine further on.

    For those of you who do not know, a ‘zine’ is a contracted name for a mini-magazine that can be self-published and either handcrafted or properly designed on the computer, that discusses various topics from guides to mental health awareness, to the latest fashion trends, to recording favourite playlists, to creative diaries and artwork!

    But Why Make Them?

    Not only do zines look like fun, but they are also oodles of fun to create yourself and be able to say “I did that!”. Drawing and designing your own helps to establish that zen feeling that allows you to relax in some down-time. They are also super useful to have during times of hardship to cheer yourself up, and this makes them perfect as gifts for your friends and family!

    They can also be about moments in your life.

    The Blurt Foundation, an online support network for people diagnosed with depression and struggling with their mental health, published free ‘Quaranzines’, you guessed it, zines made about people’s experiences during 2020 quarantines. These include documents and artwork from a small group of young people, about their hopes and dreams, fears, ideas, and unique views on their changing lifestyles.

    Interview with a zine creator

    To help me understand the process, inspiration, and motivations for zines, I asked the help of a shop called ‘maiirvineart’, led by Amy who creates positivity cards, stickers, and colourful zines, and who have over 300 sales on Etsy and over 100 5-star reviews for her creations. These vibrant zines include looking after yourself at university, kids’ editions of introductions to mental health, and guides to self-care. “[They’re] also a good distraction for me to put my mind to when I’m struggling myself,” Amy says, meaning that not only do zines create a coping mechanism for oneself, but also helps to promote awareness about mental health- helping herself while helping others.

    “I started making zines a year and a half ago,” Amy says, after finding one on Etsy and after inspiration struck, she found it to be “a fun experience to create something new”.

    Amy found that Bangor University’s counselling service offered a really helpful DBT (dialectical behaviour therapy) skills group to cope with her struggles with mental illness that started from an early age, where she received medication, counselling, and therapy. “In my zines, I try and write about a specific topic and include skills I have learnt through therapy” Amy reflects, “I hope [these]can be made accessible through my zines so that other people can use them too”. Have you ever been to mindfulness sessions from school or university? Reflecting on what helped you get through a tough time could be that positive message others might need for them to get through their own hardships.

    “This year I have started making activity zines,” Amy says, “The two I have at the moment are to do with positivity and distraction in a crisis. These are zines that have some skills in like mindfulness and emotion regulation”. These include the latter two DBT skills in a fun-filled zine with word searches, self-care bingo, cute sloth pages to colour in, mini mazes, and sections that you can fill in yourself!

    While writing this article, I found that creating zines by just folding an A4 piece of paper was perfect for spending five to ten minutes as a break from assignments. It also means that I now have these memories and pieces of art to look back on. You can make them as big or small as you want so that they fit conveniently in your bag for on-the-go projects, or for your bedside table as an evening read or pastime.

    I think we can take a lot from the concept of zines, in that focusing our time into applying our creativity through times of stress and uncertainty can produce something highly beneficial to your mood, mental health, and ensuring that you spend time in the day to destress and do something for yourself!

    I would highly recommend anyone interested to try making one yourself! You can even make one with siblings or friends and produce something relatable together!

    If you have any ideas for zines please share with others by commenting below with your inspirations!

     

    Links:

    The Blurt Foundation’s Quaranzines: https://www.blurtitout.org/product/quarazines/

    Amy’s Instagram: @maiirvineart

    Amy’s shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MaiIrvineArt

    creative mental health
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Anaiya Patel

    Related Posts

    DBT Skills for Surviving and Thriving

    April 30, 2021

    Managing Your Mental Health in Lockdown

    April 16, 2021

    Has lockdown in halls caused a mental health crisis among students?

    February 8, 2021

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    MORE INFORMATION
    • ABOUT
    • ADVERTISE
    • CONTACT US
    • GET INVOLVED
    • MEMBERS
    Links
    • Bangor University Bangor University
    • Google+ Google+
    • Undeb Bangor Undeb Bangor
    About

    Seren is Bangor University Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper

    We have editorial independence from both Bangor University and Bangor Students’ Union. Seren is written by students for students and we’d love you to get involved!

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.