Known for its lifesaving services, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide – and CBD brand APOTHEM and The Connor Brothers, the pseudonym for artists James Golding and Mike Snelle, are getting involved.
Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives, and there is growing concern that the emotional and psychological impacts of the pandemic could lead to further feelings of hopelessness and poor mental health.
CBD brand APOTHEM, CALM and its ambassadors The Connor Brothers, who are well-known for their art and supporting social issues, were brought together by their shared passion and commitment to support positive mental health and suicide prevention.
The result is a limited-edition collection of APOTHEM supercharged Day oral drops with 40 per cent CBD – to help users find a sense of inner calm either day or night – in a special series of 18 collectible mixed-media hexagon boxes, hand-painted by The Connor Brothers and only available at Maddox Gallery in London. The number of painted boxes symbolises the average number of suicides per day in the UK. Each limited-edition box includes an extra-strength formulation only available in this collection and 100 per cent of the proceeds will be donated to CALM.
Amelia Baerlein, APOTHEM co-founder and CEO, said: “Through APOTHEM, my co-founder Tony and I always wanted to make a difference by working with causes close to our heart. Recognising CALM and all the lifesaving work they do is important to me personally, having been affected by suicide at a young age. Sadly, 30 years ago conversations around mental health, especially with men, were not commonplace. Today, CALM is supporting more people than ever and I’m grateful to be in a position where we can do something to help raise awareness and vital funds.
“Working with The Connor Brothers, who are both CALM ambassadors and friends, I hope the campaign’s thought-provoking artwork will help to support a wider movement towards the normalisation of talking about mental health and inspire positive change by encouraging people to celebrate their differences and be true to who they are.”
Best known for their Pulp Fiction series and challenging the boundaries between truth and fiction, this collaboration has seen the London-based artists use a real model – British model Pippa Melody – for the first time, rather than found materials.
The Connor Brothers said: “The artwork is from our new series, True Fiction, and the quote comes from a short story that Mike wrote. ‘Call Me Anything But Ordinary’ is about accepting ourselves and not conforming. It’s about embracing our eccentricities and differences.”
It’s time to talk about mental health
Through this campaign, the duo hopes to bring wider awareness of CALM and its services, and encourage an open dialogue when it comes to mental health. It couldn’t come at a more significant time either, with CALM’s helpline and webchat busier than ever.
The Connor Brothers said: “Partnering with a mental health charity is something that we’ve always wanted to do, after both suffering from mental health challenges over the years. The focus for CALM is on preventing suicide and that’s a very personal topic for us; it is something that has touched our lives multiple times. We feel passionately that openness and support are two of the fundamental keys to reducing the frightening number of men who take their own lives every year. CALM offers both of those things and we knew immediately we wanted to support their work.”
For James, of The Connor Brothers, partnering with a CBD brand was also a personal experience. He said: “I have been a life-long sufferer of anxiety and PTSD. I choose not to believe that anxiety is curable and is something that you learn to live with. Over the last four years, I have studied and practiced cognitive behavioural therapy coupled with a healthy lifestyle and limiting my exposure to people and situations that trigger my anxiety. I found that using APOTHEM’s drops has helped me to stay balanced and focused but only as part of a much wider practice of self-management.
“We have known the team at APOTHEM for some time and have always felt a synergy between our work and theirs – we both work to inspire positive change. APOTHEM is a brand that is a key part of our everyday self-care routines.”
It was important that their collaboration did not take away from CALM’s key message either. “Combining art with products has countless inherent complications and we see this object neither as artwork or a product but something that sits in-between. Fortunately, the design team at APOTHEM were so incredible and understanding that we were hopefully able to do justice both to our artwork and the product to create something that we think is very special.”
The limited-edition collection features their iconic artwork on APOTHEM’s signature DAY CBD oral drops box and a limited-edition sustainable tote bag. Shop the collection and support the cause at apothemlabs.com and join the conversation at #CallMeAnythingButOrdinary.
If things are getting on top of you, you can contact CALM on 0800 58 58 58 or through webchat. Trained support workers are available from 5pm to midnight every day to provide practical support and advice. To find out more visit thecalmzone.net.
