In the course of trying to affect a change in how people perceive mental health, I am fortunate enough to meet a whole raft of interesting individuals, each on their own journey, their own path of self-discovery…
They’re not all dealing with the same things as I am, they’re Doctors, Thought Leaders, CEO’s and in the most recent instance, Musicians…
I was introduced to Jonny through a mutual friend and local business woman and we’d decided to have a chat; the premise was, that we were both trying to make a dent in the stigma surrounding mental health and both our disorders were diagnosed as falling into various areas of the bi-polar spectrum, so we had something in common.
After a 40 minute phone conversation it was evident that we were going to get on, very similar experiences, very different experiences and both keen to see if there was any way our story could free others.
So today I want to shout about what Jonny’s doing!
You can see Jonny’s wider story here: Jonny’s Story – MIND
Having been a musician for a long time, throughout his battle with bi-polar, Jonny has always had music there as his constant. As a means of bringing peace to an often busy mind.
He’s now formed the Santiago Quartet and teamed up with Argentinean bandoneon virtuoso Cesar Olguin, to produce a studio album that will be sold to raise money for mental health in support of the charity MIND.
Their upcoming album showcases contemporary Latin American and British music, all of which has a deep personal significance to members of the quartet. The music of Piazzolla combines with a beautiful quartet by Will Todd and a ballad by Eric Clapton, arranged by Nick Ingman.
With a variety of music on the album, in donating money to support the initiative you receive gifts which range from Violin lessons, to bespoke oil paintings, involvement in recording sessions and lots more.
I spoke in a previous blog about how music can remedy those moments in life that I find most difficult and here’s a prime example of how it’s changing people’s lives!!
Please do take a look at Jonny’s album plans, what you can win by getting involved and listen here to what the Santiago Quartet have to say.
It’s a positive thing when you meet someone who see’s the world in a similar vein to yourself… I believe the feeling is that you’re no longer so alone in what you go through day to day. To those who suffer from issues surrounding their mental health, it’s important that they know they’re not alone, we’re not talking about the plague here, we’re talking about something that in working together we can remedy. People don’t want to be treated differently, or create a fuss, but wouldn’t it be winning if we all took a step back and said, “what can I do to make support more accessible in my business?” – Think of it as changing lives… there’s a very ‘HUMAN RETURN ON INVESTMENT’ in that!
THE BIPOLAR BUSINESSMAN 