“You should start a blog!” I was urged again this week; and this time I have!
Hello, I’m Dr Kat Taylor and welcome to Art Thou Well.
I’m a clinical psychologist working in research and NHS clinical practice. My research explores links between arts, health and well-being. I am a Churchill Fellow 2017 and will be exploring arts and health initiatives in Finland and the USA. You can read more about my work in the Publications and Events section on the menu here, on LinkedIn here or on Twitter, and see a visual map of my Fellowship plans at the bottom of this post.
This blog contains resources for arts, health and psychology, and will document my Fellowship journey. It will also feature guest bloggers from other organisations and countries along the way.
The story so far…
I have worked in research since 2006 and I began training as a clinical psychologist in 2010. Upon qualifying in 2013 I took an exciting post at Arts for Health as a Lead Researcher in a team on the Dementia and Imagination research programme, a £1.2 million study funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Connected Communities.
In 2015 The Journal of Affective Disorders published my research exploring the links between creativity and bipolar disorder (or manic depression as it used to be known). My work includes attending to the active ingredients that make arts based interventions successful and public engagement. You can learn more about my work in the Publications & Events section.
My journey continues in 2017 with a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship, an apt route given Churchill himself experienced extremes of mood, which he called “the black dog.” Churchill was a very competent painter, and one who painted partly as a means of managing his own intense emotional life.
This blog will emphasise psychology, the arts, and humanity. I sometimes experience a sense of awe and gratitude at the topics I am able to explore. Over the next few weeks I will continue to add many useful resources and links. I hope to provide an educational and inspiring mix of reports from my working life (and beyond).
You can also expect posts on bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder aged 19 and you will find out more about what I think of this later. I hope to blog little and often on a range of topics within the field of psychology and arts, from clinical and research perspectives.
Throughout 2017, I will visit Finland and the US to investigate arts and healthcare initiatives to inform those in the UK working in arts and health: ‘Arts and Healthcare Pioneers: Informing and Supporting Greater Manchester Devolution.’
You can expect posts on, for example:
– How The Arts Foster Wellbeing
– Top Tips For Preparing Clinical Staff for Working in Arts-Based Ways
– News From My Churchill Fellowship Journey and reports on relevant others.
Thanks for reading my introductory post. Episode 1 is available now as my First Blog from Paris!
Next times:
Episode 2: an insight into an exhibition at Insitut Finlandais, Paris.
Episode 3: Creativity and Bipolar Disorder, by those with lived experience
The Churchill Fellowship will allow me to travel and investigate arts and health initiatives; do you have an organisation I could visit? Or might you have a request for a blog topic? Ask away!
communikatt@gmail.com | @communikatt
Art Thou Well 