Pum Dunbar, a Glasgow based artist involved with Project Ability since the late 90’s, shared her experience in the ‘Art Changing Lives’ section of the last Mailout Magazine (June/July/August 2010, page 21).
“Dear Project Ability,
When I was referred to your organisation in the late 1990s I did not believe I had the ability to be an artist. My Psychiatrist at the time was aware of the fact that although I was very depressed and in the grip of anorexia (an illness which I struggled with until recently) I was painting and using this image making as an outlet for expressing often unconsciously the emotional problems I was experiencing. She asked if I would like to attend an open studio, the Trongate Studios, a project for artists with long term mental health problems. Unfortunately my many problems persisted for years. Your organisation provided me with a physical space and art materials which allowed me to engage in my creative process in a structured and safe environment. But most importantly your organisation housed some incredible staff whose enduring support and encouragement allowed me to find my true calling as a creative artist. It has been a huge work in progress and for me my success has been in beating anorexia, learning how to live with my autism, and to stay balanced and mentally well so I can produce exciting and rich visual thinking with which to communicate to people and to sustain communication with aspects of myself. Ultimately I am now beginning to fulfil my ambition of being an autonomous artist who can feed back into her community and inspire belief in the power of art to transform the individual and enrich society.
Yours, sincerely so,
Pum Dunbar”
Many thanks, Pum!
