“Art should comfort the disturbed” is what American social activist and academic Cesar Crus said.
The art featured in Out From The Mist might make you feel disturbed, and it should. We are telling stories about really difficult times.

We are not telling our stories for sympathy or pity, or because we want to be understood.
We are telling our stories because mental illness often makes us feel invisible – a theme that runs through many of the entries we receive. To be heard.
For people to create art and put themselves out there for you to see is incredibly courageous. It’s realising you’ve got such an incredible, exciting and powerful story about your own experience of mental illness that others can relate to. People who see these photographs, short movies and listen to the music, who have a mental illness, see the work and go “yep, I can relate to that, that helps me”.
This is how we comfort the disturbed.

Michael Lockwood, Creative Director Out From The Mist

Out from the Mist is a unique competition celebrating photography, short films, and music that explores themes around mental illness.

While it shines a light on the realities of mental illness, it also goes far beyond—highlighting the diverse experiences, stories, and creative expressions of those navigating mental health challenges in their own way. This competition welcomes stories told through image, sound, and movement—stories of those living with mental illness, and of those who care for and support them. Whether joyful or sorrowful, bold or quietly powerful, each entry contributes to a deeper understanding of what it means to face mental health challenges—and to rise, connect, and create through them.

“Sleepless”

Image by

Kris Anderson