EDITORIAL
The name ‘Anomalie’ was inspired by the fact this magazine wants to give a platform for all expressions of mental health from the light to the dark, from illness to recovery. The name is a word in itself which means ‘an odd, peculiar, or strange condition, situation, quality, etc.’ which we thought referred less to mental health difficulty itself and more to the lack of understanding and support which surrounds it. It is also an amalgamation of the words anima and anomie In Jungian psychology anima is a person’s inner being as opposed to the character or persona presented to the world. Anomie means Apathy, alienation, and personal
distress resulting from the loss of goals previously valued.
Anomalie Magazine is a collective of visuals and voices about mental health supported by the Goldsmiths Annual Fund. Anomalie attempts to reflect the reality of living with mental illness by illustrating the ebb and flow of well-being via poetry, art and fiction. I was excited about the theme as I enjoy engaging with mixed media and creative writing as a form of self-care.I did not have any previous editing experience but I felt connected with the concept of Anomalie. I am a member of Goldsmiths RE:mind Society which is where I found out about the magazine. I was keen to be a part of a project which enabled people who have experienced mental distress to share their journey. I hope that readers will engage, share and connect with others
to create a positive dialogue about mental health. It was inspiring to see so many perspectives on mental health communicated creatively. The brief for submissions was non-restrictive in terms of format and subject matter which encouraged a broad range of artwork and literature. Editing the submissions was a delicate process - we were conscious that we were handling thoughts, feelings and experiences of potentially vulnerable people. The Anomalie team were overwhelmed by the number of responses which made selecting pieces to print exceptionally difficult. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the magazine. It has been a pleasure
to be involved in such an important project. Anomalie is one of a kind!
Jess Forbes (Editor)
Hello, hello. My name is Orla and like Jess I am a member of Goldsmith’s Re:Mind society founded by the lovely Irma who will have a word after me. I set up a similar project in Dublin called HeadSpace after I had graduated from University, was unemployed and was very recently hospitalised (for the fifth but also last time) and was trying to make sense of the whole shebang. Art and poetry had always seemed like much easier mediums for me to express myself and understand things in a world that seems very bent on categorising things up into nice boxes and sticking labels on them, when everything seems more like a giant tangled mess than a nice neat package. I really hope these magazines will provide a diverse range of voices and company for anyone going through a tough time. It was such, such a pleasure and privilege to read all the
submissions.
Orla Price (Editor)
I set up the student-led society Goldsmiths RE:mind in order to promote open conversation about mental health. Being involved in Anomalie has meant extending that conversation into the arts – into poetry, photography, prose, and painting. I was moved by the level of candour expressed through the many submissionswe received. Being creative is always an act of vulnerability – of exploring and making visible parts of your hidden, inner self to the external world. Perhaps this is even more the case when the topic is one that, conventionally, as a society, we shy away from, burying it beneath positive self-representation and constant
striving. But, through being vulnerable, we empower ourselves and others to engage in genuine human interaction and dialogue; we make empathy and acceptance possible. I hope this magazine will demonstrate the strength of vulnerability and spark off a long chain of further