Lucy's Story

Coming from a family of art lovers, Lucy has been using art as a form of relaxation and expressionism since she was a child. Especially during hard times in her life, art has been a vital tool in helping her manage her mental health.  

“My daughter had Leukaemia when she was younger and was sick for 7.5 years. Art was the way I managed my mental health. Doing art and painting with her and her sister was a really great bonding experience for us all.”

Until recently, Lucy hadn’t showcased her artwork in many exhibitions, emphasising for her that art is most beneficial for her mental health and more about the process of creating than putting her creations on show. Because of the way art has helped her, Lucy was inspired to assist others through art.

“I was led into teaching art because I love to show people going through mental health struggles how they can use art for relaxation. I’m not a therapist, I just teach art. What I’ve found is that creating art with like-minded people normalises people’s lives more so than therapy, where it’s all about delving into things and getting people to open up. It’s just a great relaxation and confidence-building tool, which is what it’s been for me too.”

“A lot of my students were initially going to centres that were very therapy-based. What they preferred about coming to art classes was that it didn’t make them feel like they were doing it because they were sick. We are simply people creating art. They often say this is the only thing they come to in the week that’s not a doctor or therapy; it’s just here for them to hang out, learn and enjoy creating art.”

Lucy also works with people living with dementia and their families. She enjoys how art brings them together through a collective experience of enjoyment and building memories together, taking the focus away from what their loved ones may have forgotten.

“I have one lady and her mum and daughter that I teach. The mum has quite severe dementia and she’s often very confused. But when we all work together, you can see the daughter and the granddaughter are building memories with the mum that aren’t memories about her being sick, it’s more about laughing over painting a parrot.”

“Art doesn’t need to be about capturing the artist’s feelings in the moment, or focusing on the end product, so long as they are enjoying the process of creating. My students are probably sick of me saying, ‘just enjoy the process!’”

"Kookaburra" by Lucy van Ligten on display at the 2023 Recovered Futures Art Exhibition.

Lucy feels strongly about looking at the bigger picture when it comes to being in the throes of a mental health struggle.

“Don’t make yourself too singular or isolated. Realise that there are people out there who care and want to help. You don’t have to spend all your time with a therapist; there are lots of other people who will bring a sense of normality into your life.”

Through her teaching, Lucy has formed a close network of friends. Coming together to create art has provided a safe space for people to come when they’ve had a bad day or are facing struggles in their life and just need to be supported.

“Art is the thing that glues us all together. I think it’s a tribal thing, it’s a cave for me. It’s always been a cave where we can all gather and do something with our hands.”

Last year was Lucy’s first time exhibiting with the Recovered Futures Art Exhibition, an experience she enjoyed sharing with some of the clients from her art classes.

“Art has been the biggest confidence thing for me, and I’ve tried to instil that in my clients as well. Four of my clients exhibited at Recovered Futures as well, and three of them sold paintings. It was a real boost for everyone to be involved in the exhibition, including me.”

“Even calling it Recovered Futures, instead of ‘mental health show’ or something, I love the name, that’s what we’re all trying to achieve. Recovery isn’t how we were before; it’s how we can be in the future.”