MA Design Practice student Sophie Johnston has won a Creative Conscience Award in the Mental Health Category,  the award programme is a scheme for students and recent graduates that “searches for exciting projects that focus on social or environmental impact” and offers an opportunity to “to push your curiosity and create the change you want to see in the world.”

Speaking of winning the award Sophie said, “as soon as I read the email telling me that I had one, I was lost for words. It took a few moments to eventually sink in, but when I did, I immediately told my family and friends so that they could share my excitement. This is the first external award I have received, so it felt like a huge accomplishment both personally and academically.”

Sophie entered the awards with encouragement from her lecturers, she explains; “This award was first introduced to me by my lecturer, Olivia, who suggested that I submit the work I produced during the first module of the MA. The main reason for my entering was the push from Olivia. I had never heard of this award before, so I wasn’t sure of the calibre produced by previous students. Having the support from Olivia gave me the belief that my project was good enough. I entered my project into the Mental Health category.”

Sophie’s project was entitled ‘It’s ok to talk’ and “is a social campaign targeted at signposting support for mental health issues. The project intends to resonate with a demographic of men that are most affected by gender roles and societal expectations. The campaign focuses on three classic ‘pub games’ creating a number beer mats and posters, intended to interact with the intended demographic, which would be distributed to social clubs, pubs and bars around the country. Research indicated men over 30 are less likely to access support or mental health issues. The campaign intends to address this issue by incorporating the campaign directly into the pub/social setting of the intended audience, with catchy taglines.”

Speaking of her experience on the MA and future steps she explains, “I previously studied a photography degree at The Northern School of Art, which is where I found out about the possibility of an MA. I hope to eventually become a lecturer in photography at some point in my career, and I knew that this continued study would help me achieve this goal. The MA has also given me the chance to grow my portfolio and the security to try out ambitious projects.”

She said she has an ambition to continue this line of enquiry commenting “I plan to continue creating campaigns similar to ‘It’s Okay to Talk’ in the future, to help educate people on the reality of mental health problems and their rise in the UK.”

You can keep up to date with Sophie work on her Instagram:@sophie.j_photography and by visiting her website. 

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