Description:

Art & Creativity + Youth + Mental Health = With Wonder

Art therapy boxes that promote mental wellbeing through a self-directed therapeutic experience, and are grounded in the real-world practice of art therapists and psychotherapists.

Our client Breathing Space, a registered NZ charity, came to us with an early-stage concept. Founded in Tāmaki Makaurau in 2016, Breathing Space provides free, trauma-informed therapy and group programs to young people, with a focus on those facing systemic barriers to wellbeing.

Alongside the founder, Asha Munn — the only registered art psychotherapist in Aotearoa, EMDR therapist, and a graduate of Elam School of Fine Arts — this project was born as a result of lockdown. When the Breathing Space team could no longer meet the growing demand for services, they adapted by preparing makeshift care packages with art materials — the ‘art box’ quickly became a vehicle for offering support to youth in times of need.

We helped bring With Wonder to life as a product system; using art as a medium for improved mental wellness.

With Wonder is the belief that art and creativity can have a transformative effect on the mental health of at-risk youth in Aotearoa.

Each With Wonder box is designed in collaboration with a different NZ artist — with the likes of Lissy and Rudi, Jade Townsend, and Te Ara Minhinnik featured in the first releases.

With the understanding that colour can influence mood—and even physiological responses—it became a central element of the project.

In collaboration with art psychotherapist Asha Munn and guided by colour psychology research, we set out to create an environment that felt safe, positive, and uplifting. Every colour choice was intentional, aimed at supporting specific emotional responses from users.

Our research led to a carefully curated palette shown to resonate with our audience in meaningful ways.

We dream of a world where healthcare practitioners and medical professionals prescribe art and creativity, in different forms, to care for our mental health; a world where self expression and healing through art & creativity can happen everyday, across Aotearoa.