A fateful road trip taken in 2016 by childhood best friends Danielle Provencher and Soheila Homayed has led the young women to put together a self-published book called “Messy Minds.”
Then both post-secondary students, they talked a lot about how being away from home was difficult when it came to mental health.
“We were both struggling at the time,” said Provencher, a third-year graphic design student at Cambrian College. “We had our own mental health issues, and a lot of our friends were struggling with being away from home.”
The women came up with the idea for the Messy Minds project, asking for online submissions of writing, photography and art related to the topic of mental health. The project ended up becoming a community of sorts for contributors.
“The variety of pieces we got was amazing,” said Provencher, adding some people submitted on dark topics such as rape and depression.
“Paradoxically, we had submissions on people's hopes and dreams and sort of a testament to their deepest desires. We have that balance of dark and light submissions.
“It's really anything that anyone wants to send in that has to do with either their struggles, hopes and desires. We're just hoping that we can improve people's mental health because it's a platform to make people feel less lonely.
“It's a platform for people to express their deepest selves so they feel connected to a story themselves. That's the way that we want to channel positive mental health.”
It took them three years, but the friends are finally coming out with a self-published “Messy Minds” book.
This book — which the women hope is just the first volume of many to come — is separated into sections of secrets, musings, short writings, and wisdoms, outlined by art, photography and poetry.
The book launch takes place Aug. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at La Fromagerie on Elgin Street in downtown Sudbury.
Books cost $25 each. Twenty-five per cent of the proceeds will go to the Canadian Mental Health Association.
If they don't sell out at the launch, the books will be available afterward at local venues including the Good Luck General Store and La Fromagerie.
Homayed, a recent graduate of the University of Ottawa, admits life got in the way of their publishing dream for awhile, but as soon as the women decided they were ready, it was “full throttle.”
“It's been quite an experience, self-publishing,” she said.
“It's a lot of time and money, but we're so excited to print people's work and to have them read it, and their friends and family members. I'm very, very excited to have it done.”
Provencher said the message behind the book is that “when we embrace our messiness, and we embrace our rawness and vulnerability, there's a great power in that.”
Learn more about the Messy Minds book project at messyminds-project.com.
You can also visit the Messy Minds Facebook page and answer the question “what's your dream?” for a chance to win a free copy of the book.
