"The Be Good Project" is putting a spotlight on the mental health issue in the creative industry. This project is an amazing collective of musicians and visual artists put together by Josh Hicks from "Robot Jaw Records".  Hazy Days Music would like to thank Josh for taking the time out and discussing this important topic and tackling the mental health issue.

"The Be Good Project" has just been released (20/10/2020), could you tell us about this project? You released "The Be Good Project" through your label "Robot Jaw Records" what made this project so important to you and how difficult was it organise?

Starting I would like to mention that all the profits are going to Beyond Blue and I could not be happier helping out this organisation.

“The Be Good Project” originated from this idea I have had for a little while now. The relationship between mental health and creativity has always been unique. That relationship has been glorified for a long time, the idea you should suffer for your art to create your best work. I am not sure who came up with that idea and why you could never be creative in a positive mindset. No other profession has ever had that same attitude about their work ethic, whether it be professional sports or any industry.    

Throughout history, you hear the stories that you have to suffer for your art to be the best creatively, it has to take a piece with you, or you sacrifice that bit of yourself to get the best results. Going through that journey just because your favourite artist you looked up to growing up suffered so much, you should to as well. That side of suffering for your art has always been talked about, but you never heard people talking about the positives of keeping a good headspace or reaching out to someone for help until recently.  

I know for myself having that experience, it can lead you down a very lonely and isolating path and it doesn't have to be that way anymore. More and more artist are now discovering the best way of expressing your art is healthy, opening up to friends or other artists if you are struggling can really help. The benefits of building a community around you where you can share how you are going and ways you have been able to tackle the difficult days/projects. Personally, I like having it set up almost like a group therapy sessions, where you have the opportunity to share as much or as little as you would like, being able to listen to others and hear how they are going, you never know the benefits it has on that person to just listen to someone who is having a tough time.

“The Be Good Project” is a collective of unique experiences based around mental health. The project is split up into 2 different parts - Music and Visual Art. We are releasing a collaborative album, along with a book showcasing artwork and lyrics to each song. "The Be Good Project" is available to purchase through Bandcamp, either digitally or physical copies of the CD and book (again all profits are going to Beyond Blue).

Music - The 14 artists we selected each provided a single, it didn’t have to be written for this project, it could be an old demo, a reworked song or anything they felt was suitable for the project. It was really up to each artist how they wanted to tackle it. The only guidelines I gave them was; the heart of the project is mental health, but you can take that in any direction you wish. It was completely up to the artist if they want to showcase the positive or negative sides of mental health.   

Visual Art - The guidelines were the same for the 13 visual artists we selected. This project centres around mental health, but you are allowed to showcase your artwork whichever way you wish. Again, it did not have to be a brand new piece of art, and it was totally up to the artists how they wanted to visualise mental health.  

I am so proud of how "The Be Good Project" turned out. These 14 musicians and 13 visual artists have created a beautifully unique collaborative collection, and I am happy I could share this experience with everyone involved.

What was the selection process like for choosing the artists and visual artists? Did you have previous connections with any of the artists you ended up selecting?

Finding and selecting the musicians for this project was a really interesting experience. I ran the selection process through my label “Robot Jaw Records”. I didn't put out a casting call or submit your music now or anything like that. Australia has some really talented up and coming musicians. It is incredible how the music scene is still growing especially through this year. I knew a few of the artists that ended up being on this project, but about half of them, I didn’t know, I just knew I would love to work with them, and they would be great for this project. For those artists I didn’t have any connections with or friends of friends who know them, I just went out on a limb and contacted them, not expect much or even a response in some cases, but what I received back was more than I ever could have hoped. Great local artists like Nat Vazer and Azim Zain and His Lovely Bones, loved the sound of the project and were super keen to be on board. I could not thank all of these artists enough for being apart of "The Be Good Project"- The Rollercanes, Trace Decay, Marigolden, Velvet Bloom, Eileen Grace, Quiet Blue, Therapy Dog, The Crane District, Nat Vazer, Damaged Goods Club, P.T. Collis, Ruby Mae, Bares and Azim Zain and His Lovely Bones. 

For the visual artists, that’s a bit of a different story and a completely different experience for me. I didn’t know that many visual artists, I got a little bit of help from some friends and bands, getting advice on who they knew and used to help them out with artwork. I did a great deal of research for this side and a lot of Instagram hours haha. I was blown away with the amazing the amount of talent that is coming out of Australia right now! So many great creative up and comers are out there at the moment and I just loved learning more about the art community we have here in Australia. I am really grateful that I got to work with all these amazing artists, please make sure you go check them out - Lara Prokop, Ameya Ajay, Shan Primrose, Beniah Colbourn, Sarah Ryan, Kell Kitsch, Alisha Watford, Liz Lea, Shannon Mary, Madison Cravis, Emma Winton, Anna Moore and Luna Tunes.

What does the future look like for "The Be Good Project?" Will it run again next year? Would you look at adding an event to accompany the launch?

There will definitely be more volumes of “The Be Good Project” coming up, at the moment I am unsure when the next instalment will come out. "The Be Good Project" has been a long time in the making and has taken a lot out of me this year. For now, I would like to sit back and enjoy the next few weeks, watch how it goes before I make any decisions about launching a date for the next instalment of the project.

Over the past year this experience has taught me a lot, not everything always goes to plan, that is ok, that is the beauty of learning from this experience. I would have loved to organise an event to go along with the launch. However, everything that has happened this year, running an event was never going to be possible. The idea of having an event coinciding with the release would really top everything off. The possibility of a few of the artists playing live, showcasing the artwork and auctioning off some of the pieces would have been a great little bonus and some extra money we could have donated to Beyond Blue, but there is always next time. 

There are a few things I would change about how I organised everything this time around, and I think the selection process would be a bit different as well. That makes it really exciting for me though, I love what “The Be Good Project” stands for and thinking of what I can do to make it grow and become even bigger in the future, with the little things I can add-in. Just makes it an exciting time and I cannot wait to start planning volume 2.

Where can we find out more information on "The Be Good Project"? Can anyone get involved and help out in the future?

If anyone wants to get involved, please reach out to me however you wish -  Email, Instagram or Facebook, I don’t mind! It is great to talk and hear other peoples enthusiasm about the subject. It makes what I am doing all worth it. The same goes for all types of artists, if you would like to be apart of "The Be Good Project" feel free to reach out and submit your content to me.

Again, if you would like to purchase “The Be Good Project” follow the link, remembering all the profits go to Beyond Blue. 

I love the community we are building, you should never be afraid to talk about how you are feeling, or if you are experiencing a rough time, you can reach out to me. We are always here to listen and help out how ever we can. 

That time of being a torched artist should have ended long ago. Enjoy the process of being creative and be proud of what you create.

Hazy Days Music would like to thank Josh Hicks again for discussing mental health with us.

Make sure to follow “Robot Jaw Records” on Facebook, Instagram and Bandcamp.

If you would like to get in contact with Josh - josh@robotjawrecords.com.au or Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/