Summary

We need your support to publish and grow The Shallot in 2023. Each issue focuses on a theme around mental health. Artists can submit poetry, visual art, and short stories.

The Shallot is a part of The Layered Onion family. As a community of artists with mental and emotional health challenges, The Layered Onion provides support, structure, and encouragement so we can collectively focus on our art and tackle the stigma surrounding mental health. 

Many of us know intuitively – art heals. A 2021 groundbreaking report by Johns Hopkins and the Aspen Institute found “The arts and aesthetic experiences impact human biology and behavior in ways that differ markedly from any other health intervention. Scientific studies demonstrate that many art modalities act on complex biological systems and mechanisms to generate physiological and psychological effects.“

What We Need & What You Get

Our community feels it is critical for those affected by mental challenges to directly share how art can be an important tool in healing. By sharing our art and literature with the many touched by mental health, we can bring our work out from the shadows and show how working collectively we can change the dialogue around mental health.

The Shallot: Journal of Mental Health, Art, and Literature is a beacon designed to shed light on the difficulties of chronic illness and illuminate our many paths forward. The funding provided by this campaign will allow us to develop quarterly journals for one year. And, with our Library of Congress ISSN number, the funding will also help us distribute the journal to

• Libraries,
• Healthcare providers,
• Educators, and
• Art lovers.

Perks

We are providing both digital and color print copies of The Shallot as well as coupon codes for our online shop and limited-edition prints. If we do not meet our entire goal, we will produce The Shallot less frequently and create a distribution schedule our budget allows.

The Impact

Since we opened our networking platform in January 2022, we have grown our artist community by 40% month/month with over 200 artists all over the world. The artists themselves have shared how being a part of this community has impacted them.

We just finished our first year as a benefit corporation. Our focus was on attracting members and developing the support and structure the artists needed. This included developing the networking platform, creating a journal to showcase our artists and mental health, launching our online shop, and partnering with other organizations. We have accomplished all of these goals!

We have long known from personal experience how art is an important part of our healing journey. We want to share our journey to encourage others and create evidence that a life burdened by mental health challenges has meaning and purpose.

Risks & Challenges

Our biggest challenge is being seen. Van Gogh was not appreciated until after his tragic death. There are more resources now than were available during Van Gogh’s time but mental health is still a challenge. We need your help to get the word out and have our message of the healing power of art reach around the world.

Other Ways You Can Help

Our collaborative talents allowed us to successfully create the first issue of The Shallot. We are a collective of artists from all over the world – and growing every day. Our ability to support each other and create together is what makes us different. 

• If you would like to give but are not interested in a perk or prefer a different amount, you can click the RED “See Options” button and choose your amount. 
• If you can’t contribute monetarily, please share our effort widely so we can continue to lift our artists’ voices and have the underrepresented be heard and seen. 

Worldwide, 1 in 8 people, and 1 in 4 in the U.S.- or over 970 million total worldwide – are affected by mental health challenges.