Art, creativity and Parkinson's: Art with a Heart

Now, Amelia, this isn't a connection I've ever made before.

Uh, so what do we know about the topic?

So, Anthony, what's really cool about this is that art and Parkinson's actually have a really special connection.

Loads of people living with Parkinson's find that they become, or seem to become, more creative after they're diagnosed, and, and that art can be a form of therapy that really helps them to express their feelings, deal with the diagnosis.

Also, find the joy and the, and the hope that comes afterwards once you kind of come to a reconciliation point, that then also can help with managing symptoms.

But what we really want to do in this episode is to find out more about all of that, because there are some, there's some amazing research being done.

There's also other things other than art in the world of creativity.

There are many, many different ways people can be creative, and we definitely know anecdotally that creativity and community can be a really powerful thing for people not just living with Parkinson's, but any neurodegenerative condition.

It can help people feel connected to their community, like they're something bigger still, connected to the world.

But also spread awareness, raise understanding, help people see people with a neurodegenerative condition, and specifically Parkinson's, in a completely different light.

So, there's something really incredible about the things that are being done at the moment.

And I guess as well, um, so obviously this, this episode, um, we're gonna meet some, some people with Parkinson's, some artists.

We've heard from them m- already in the introduction.

Um, but this also, I, I guess, could be really useful for families, friends, um, and people just connected to, to the Parkinson's community.

Absolutely.

It takes, you know, the, the standard term, it takes a village, [laughs] and actually, creativity is definitely something that a whole village is, is, um, is part of.

And so, that's exactly why we kind of created the campaign that this is linked to, which is Parkinson's Art With a Heart.

Yes.

What is...

Can you tell us about that?

Absolutely.

So, art and Parkinson's, they really are, as I said, very, very special in their connection.

Um, and as you just mentioned, it's a way of people with Parkinson's connecting, not only with each other, but with other people in their community as the physical symptoms and challenges that, that come with Parkinson's potentially increase or become more, more difficult to be in con- control.

The thought that art can be a therapy, and creativity can be a therapy, and people can find joy, connection, possibility, is what we really wanted to dig into with this campaign.

So, in the main campaign, we're exploring how artists with Parkinson's are also using their art for good, what they're doing to not just fundraise for Parkinson's, but also raise awareness, help share the story, help people in the wider community understand and have an insight into Parkinson's that otherwise they potentially wouldn't have.