Connecting the Human Dots with Dominos, Murals, Improv, and Mental Health Support

 As the creator of BotJoy (a grass roots art making movement), I draw small robot figures on the backs of domino tiles and give them to people. I also encourage others to draw their own Bots, as they are called, and name them as a creative way to connect community. For example, Brave Bot or Joy Bot or Hope Bot are meant to support someone who might need a bit of courage or happiness or hope in their life. Obviously these little drawings aren’t magical but what I have found over the years is that they can be a kind of emotional catalyst that helps people support and recognize themselves and others. They certainly have been an endless well of possibility for me. 

Since I was a child, I have experienced anxiety (Covid made it worse) and there is a history of mental illness in my family. I grew up in an environment where mental health issues were not taboo or associated with stigma. We were open about our feelings and my father, who was a concert pianist, poet and a very creative person, was able to help me in inspiring ways.  

I had a lot of nightmares when I was little. I loved to draw – not surprising that I became a visual artist – so my father invited me to draw out my frightening dreams, often in the middle of the night, with a stack of paper, pencils, and warm cinnamon toast at the kitchen table. We would co-create these images with me drawing and him helping me name the monsters. One evening he invited me to do something different. He said, “If you can make these monsters, you can make them disappear too.” Then he handed me an eraser and asked me to make the monsters disappear.  

While my anxiety didn’t wondrously disappear, there was something about doing that that empowered me. I didn’t realize it then, maybe, but that human connection, the ability to communicate without fear of judgment, know I was loved and supported, and could take action to help myself all went a long way. 

Today, I take those concepts and use them in my artwork, from drawing on dominoes to creating murals to facilitating improv theatre workshops for business organizations (via my Portland, Oregon-based company On Your Feet) to using storytelling as a form of expression. Working with artists, business leaders, or healthcare staff, I use art to connect. Because I believe connection is one of the most important things we can have for good mental health. 

 Living a creative life has helped me deal with my anxiety, but it has also given me the opportunity to use art to connect more deeply to the mental health world. The Botjoy project, which I never expected to gain so much traction, allows me to explore and discover how art can function as a catalyst for people to help themselves.  I never would have guessed that giving those hand-drawn tiles to kids in a children’s hospital, for example, would provide them with some comfort, meaning, help, support.  

The thing about a Bot is it’s a very simple piece of communication. It can be fun or cool or bright. It’s an invitation to have a compassionate conversation with yourself. A Bot can be anything you want it to be; it is a link back to what you need and can find in yourself: grace, inspiration, love, luck and even caffeine. 

For me, the Bots and all my artwork are a way to help myself, but also a way to recognize, support and celebrate others. I am grateful that I get to do things that I love, but that doesn’t mean that I still don’t experience anxiety.  No worries though, Anxiety Bot understands. Thank you ADAA for inviting me to share my story here. 

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