How Spinach Records is Prioritizing The Mental Health of Creative Artists
THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO
BRAD WATSON
Spinach Records is my answer to the mental health crisis among artists of color.
The goal is to find and support the artists who add color to our daily lives. We’re not exploiting them or pumping out one-hit wonders.
5 MINS READ TIME
Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, artists have found themselves unemployed, underfunded, and often struggling with these issues alone.
73% of independent artists experience symptoms of mental illness. Much of this is due to financial instability and the fear of failing at something they love.
In the music industry there are few labels who actually invest in the mental and financial wellness of their artists, but, at Spinach Records, we believe that wellness is the foundation on which original art is built.
Spinach Records is not just a record label--I’m carving a unique space between community building, artistic expression, and personal ownership. By hosting content in one place and grouping artists who work together, Spinach makes it easier for consumers to find art that fits their lives. We see Spinach as a self-sustaining community of discovery that anyone can benefit from no matter where they are in their wellness journey. Spinach helps ensure creative longevity for artists and fans alike. At Spinach Records, artists own their masters, but more importantly, they belong to a community that will help them foster their creative ability without sacrificing their health.
This is about sustainable artist development with an emphasis on mental health.
By fostering a space that puts mental health first, Spinach Records has the capacity to uproot the unhealthy practices that the industry has used to push artists too far. With recent outbursts around Kanye West’s mental health and the negative portrayal of his support system, we have an opportunity to unravel the taboo behind talking about issues like suicide, depression, performance anxiety, and the other pressures of reaching success.
Photo: Jabari Canada
There's an interesting parallel between public safety in the real world and public safety on the internet. It used to be that the thing you needed to be connected to the rest of the world was simply roads. That’s still true. You need a road, but that’s not enough. It’s important to have a digital connection as much as a physical one. Public spaces on the internet are about expression and sharing our experiences with others. The way in which we communicate - what we amplify and how we take up space - can contribute to a feeling of exclusion or even a lack of safety. Being able to trust that we are safe on the Internet is critical for realizing its potential.
In the same way that we began to thoroughly think through what public safety for black and brown people meant in our physical spaces after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and more this past summer, we should be actively innovating ways to improve the safety of our digital spaces; because right now, it’s not great.
At Spinach Records, members and artists sit down with our Wellness A&R each week. They create a personalized wellness plan that’s unique to each artist's medium and needs. Our #REALCONVO series at Spinach Records hosted biweekly on ZOOM, tackles mental hygiene and financial literacy head on through conversations with accredited investors. On a granular level, we are creating boutique rollout release plans, providing executive production, following personalized rollout strategy, and access to a network of industry executives, producers, and creatives.
Photo: Jabari Canada
This principle of health longevity extends to the entire Spinach community: our artists, our global fans, and our supporters in the industry. We believe everyone deserves a supportive outlet for their creativity, whatever that may be, and Spinach is here to foster a progressive space where we feel safe to pursue and share what we love with those who support us.
Take one of our artists’ Brandon Sherrod for example.
In a recent conversation we had catching up, he discussed his own struggles with mental health and how Spinach has helped him reach a better place artistically. “As an athlete, I have dealt with performance anxiety and I’ve also had bouts of depression. Because I had to weigh my life on wins and losses, I found myself riding a mental and emotional roller coaster.” He continues, “During those periods of time, my only outlet was music. I wanted to make it into a viable career. Spinach Records has given me the know-how to pursue music and I’m very grateful for that.”
Spinach Records is leading cutting edge wellness programs across our platforms and redefining personalized resources for creatives. By prioritizing our artists’ holistic wellbeing, Spinach can ensure their safety and help them create the art we all love for a long time to come.