A man who was once sacked for being depressed has turned to Instagram to promote the benefits of talking about mental health.
Photographer Scott James, from Whitefield, has already built a strong profile on his account @projectcerti.
The 31-year-old has almost 9K followers for his laid back Manchester street interviews with passersby, which he says promotes self acceptance. At the end of each interview, in which Scott asks his subjects to name one internal and one external thing they love about themselves, he takes a portrait.
For Greater Manchester’s Recoverist Month this September, which is the UK’s only arts-based awareness month for substance use recovery, Scott has turned his attention to the theme of sober curiosity.
The self-taught photographer has been commissioned by arts organisation Portraits of Recovery, the founder of the event, to record conversations with people in Manchester, Tameside, Trafford, Bury and Stockport.
In the interviews, Scott asks his subjects if they have heard of sober curiosity and whether it impacts on how they live their lives.
The first video, which sees Scott talking with two anonymous men in their 30s, was filmed in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It touches on the reasons why both friends choose to moderate their drinking, including the recent premature death of one of the men’s uncles, which was linked to his alcohol use. It was released today (02/09/2024).
Being sober curious means reevaluating the impact alcohol has on your mental health and wellbeing, lifestyle, finances or a mix of them all. Recent studies show that as many as 28% of young adults in the UK do not drink and, with this percentage increasing, sober curiosity is an ever-growing movement.
Scott, whose photography clients include Sheffield United, Big Narstie and Network Rail, said: “I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and have struggled with mental health.
“I’ve been making Reels about mental health since January 2023 as a way to get people talking about it.
“When I was approached by Mark Prest of Portraits of Recovery to create a series about sober curiosity for Recoverist Month I jumped at the chance. I would describe myself as sober curious and I have barely had a drink in the last year for various reasons.
“When I was younger I used substances for escapism, which led to my mental health declining even further. “
In his 20s, whilst Scott was working for a claims company on Manchester’s Deansgate, he was sacked on the spot because his employer said his low mood was bringing his colleagues down.
Scott said: “It’s quite shocking looking back on it and it was definitely illegal. But my mental health and self esteem were so bad, I just gathered up my things and left.
“In a way, it was a good thing, as it made me realise office work is not for me and I have been much happier working as a photographer.
“Sober curiosity seems like a really positive trend and I hope this project gets even more people talking about it.”
Mark Prest, director of Portraits of Recovery, the Manchester arts and recovery charity that launched Recoverist Month, said: “After coming across Scott’s work by chance on Instagram, the quality of his videos really struck me; both the aesthetic qualities and his personal and empathic interview style.
“His own sensitive, vulnerable gaze seeks out others who are able to authentically articulate their inner worlds.
“Our roving videographer Scott is bringing a quality digital dimension to Recoverist Month, enabling people from Greater Manchester to share their own stories in a safe space that reaches beyond its borders.”
Recoverist Month is the UK’s only arts-based awareness event that places people in recovery from substance use centre stage.
‘Recoverist’ is a portmanteau word blending recovery and activism and it includes those in recovery, their family, friends, and significant others.
An annual feature for the region’s cultural calendar now in its second year, Recoverist Month is the brainchild of Manchester visual arts organisation Portraits of Recovery (PORe).
This September, Recoverist Month will see a series of performances, exhibitions, screenings and discussions at venues around the region, including HOME, The Turnpike Gallery in Wigan, Oldham Library and Manchester Art Gallery.
You can view Scott’s videos throughout September on Portraits of Recovery’s Facebook and Instagram
