Do you have anxiety or depression? Well so do we, and boy do we talk about it. This week's guest is illustrator Louis Burrows, an illustrator who shares his experience with anxiety and depression and how drawing has helped him express his feelings and ask for help. This is a great episode with lots of good stuff covered and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did recording it. Thanks Louis!

Resources:

Call 111 and choose Option 2 for dedicated mental health crisis support, or visit NHS 111 online.

Anxiety UK

SHOUT texting support service

Louis's Instagram: @lou.the.illustrator

Louis's Email: loutheillustrator1013@gmail.com

Follow Armchair Artist on Instagram: @armchairartistpod

Oliver's Instagram: @olikirkham

AA Email: armchairartistpod@gmail.com

Artist Future Fund alumni Lauren Pitson joins Oliver to discuss the themes of their recent exhibition, amidst tangents on burping etiquette, constantly loosing the thread of conversation and Lauren's dad's intestines. Enjoy!

Texts mentioned in this episode: The Ecological Thought by Timothy Morton (2010) ['the mesh' discussed in the episode]

Lauren's Instagram: @lauren.pitson

Lauren's Website: https://www.laurenpitson.com

Follow Armchair Artist on Instagram: @armchairartistpod

Oliver's Instagram: @ olikirkham

Email: armchairartistpod@gmail.com

PhD Candidate, sound artist and performer Susan Matthews is welcomed to the pod to discuss topics that resonate with both her and Olivers practice. This episodes conversation highlights the importance of sharing experiences of trauma through artwork, how it can fortify recovery and help us to connect with others. It also looks cool and sounds fancy. Enjoy!

Texts mentioned in this episode:

A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari (University of Minnesota Press, 1987)

Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection by Julia Kristeva (translated edn. Columbia University Press, 1982)

How Not To Kill Yourself by Clancy Martin (Oneworld Publications, 2023)

Your Brain On Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross (Canongate, 2023)

Facing Infinity: Black Holes and Our Place on Earth by Jonas Enander (Atlantic Books, 2025)

Follow Armchair Artist on Instagram: @armchairartistpod

Oliver's Instagram: @olikirkham

Email: armchairartistpod@gmail.com

Wow, what an episode. This is a wild ride on the theoretical rollercoaster. Like Deleuze and Guattari? Never heard of them? That's okay! Rob and Oliver connect the dots between modern and contemporary philosopher's key concepts, and scrutinise Oliver's own theory on using mental health experiences to make artwork. Let's listen in.

Texts mentioned in this episode:

A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari (University of Minnesota Press, 1987)

How Not To Kill Yourself by Clancy Martin (Oneworld Publications, 2023)

Your Brain On Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross (Canongate, 2023)

Towards Speculative Realism: Essays and Lectures by Graham Harman (Zero Books, 2010)

The book I couln’t remember is When It Is Darkest by Rory O’Connor (Vermillion, 2021)

Facing Infinity: Black Holes and Our Place on Earth by Jonas Enander (Atlantic Books, 2025)

Follow Armchair Artist on Instagram: @armchairartistpod

Oliver's Instagram: @olikirkham

Email: armchairartistpod@gmail.com

Oliver's dear friend Lewis drops by to share their opinions on a recent art show Oliver was part of. They chat about how they met, making emotionally charged sculptures and the relationship between art and black holes (yes, there is one). Enjoy!

Quotes and stats in this episode come from these books:

Seven Logics of Sculpture by Ernst Van Alphen (Valiz, 2023)

Your Brain On Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross (Canongate, 2023)

How Not To Kill Yourself by Clancy Martin (Oneworld Publications, 2023)

Follow Armchair Artist on Instagram: @armchairartistpod

Oliver's Instagram: @olikirkham

Lewis's Instagram: @windowfacing

Email: armchairartistpod@gmail.com

Welcome to the first episode of Armchair Artist. I'm Oliver. This shorter episode sets the scene for the next four that focus on my art practice, personal experience with suicide and how art can help us process trauma and heal from our afflictions. I hope you enjoy my ramblings as I chat with friends about art, life and everything in-between.

Statistics from the top of episode can be found on Campaign Against Living Miserably and Papyrus' websites respectively. The estimated total impact of a single suicide (135 people) was published in 2018 and can be found in Rory O'Connor's book When it is Darkest (2023).

Follow Armchair Artist on Instagram: @armchairartistpod

Oliver's Instagram: @olikirkham

Email: armchairartistpod@gmail.com