Working in the performing arts can be fulfilling, exhilarating, and at the same time, quite challenging. Burnout is real. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and AGMA wants to spotlight the mental health observations and stories of our members.
Whether you’ve found balance, are still in the thick of it, or simply want to offer a word of solidarity to a fellow artist, we invite AGMA members to share stories, poetry, or artwork that reflect their mental health journeys.
Interested members are invited to schedule an interview with Eldee, AGMA’s Communications Coordinator, or submit their own work. Selected submissions will be showcased across AGMA’s website, newsletter, and social media channels throughout May.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Response Deadline: Friday, April 27, 2026, 8:00 p.m. ET
Members can participate by filling out this form and either selecting to:
- Get interviewed by AGMA’s Communications Coordinator. (Interviews will be conducted either over Zoom or email, whichever you prefer!) OR
- Submit a written reflection/story (150-800 words suggested); poetry and artwork are also accepted
Some discussion ideas:
- How has your mental health journey shaped you as an artist and as a person?
- Share a personal story about a time you struggled and what helped you through it.
- Describe a moment when you realized you needed to prioritize your mental health.
- A memory of when a colleague, mentor, or community showed up for you in a meaningful way.
- Reflections on burnout: what it felt like, how it happened, and what you learned.
- How do you separate your sense of self-worth from the pressures of performance and rejection?
- Challenges you’ve faced on the road, between contracts, or during periods of uncertainty.
- How did the pandemic impact your mental health?
- Moments when the culture of our industry stigmatized mental health and moments when it felt supportive.
- How do rest, ritual, or routine help you stay grounded in a demanding profession?
- A letter, poem, or image that helped you or could help a fellow artist who might be quietly going through it right now.