Human Rights awarded artist and mental health advocate needs your help. ... Please Read!
Richard McLean
http://www.justgiving.com/richiemclean
Please assist ease the suffering of the mentally ill, not and to come
>>> please forward this email to those who believe in human rights and
mental health advocacy.
My name is Richie McLean, author and artist of a Human Rights Awarded
Art-Autobiography on my experience with Mental Illness, called
'Recovered, Not Cured, a journey through schizophrenia'. (see
http://www.richiemclean.com)
PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS SHORT EMAIL!!!
THE SHORT STOREY:
I want to gain the resources to fund living allowances to write my next
art/multimedia novel on dispelling mental illness, being a voice for
those whos voice is but a whisper...
PLEASE SEE: http://www.richiemclean.com
OR PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING...your donation helps my sponsored charity,
SANE as well!
see:
http://www.justgiving.com/richiemclean
THE LONG STOREY! plase read on...
You can download high resolution art featured in my human rights
awarded autobiographical art book here:
http://www.richiemclean.com/new/downloadart.html
and see all my creative endevours, writing, art, illustration, music
and multimedia at:
THE LONG STOREY!... please read on...
I am a passionate mental health Advocate and
Designer/illustrator/musician and Artist here in Melbourne, Australia,
who has dedicated his life to consumer advocacy, and the rights of the
many touched by mental illness.
My book recieved a 'Highly Commended' in the non-fiction category of
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Comission's awards, 2003.
It is also SANE Australia's 'Book of the Year', 2004.
PLEASE READ ON!!! YOU CAN GET A FREE AUDIO COPY TO DOWNLOAD OF THE BOOK
BELOW!!!
You can peruse accolades and reviews of the book, even purchase a copy
from the following link!
(I get 50 cents every copy sold...)
http://www.richiemclean.com/new/writing.html
Although I have been a very well known advocate for mental health in
the Australian, and some international mental health arena, my work
isn't paid and is a passion.
I want to demystify the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding mental
illness as my life's mandate, and want to write another book on mental
health.
PLEASE READ THE SYNOPSIS OF MY NEW BOOK - 'The Truth Teller', AT THE
BOTTOM OF THIS LETTER!
For now though, see all of my consumer advocacy work and experience at
: http://www.richiemclean.com/new/consultancy.html)
My reason for posting this page...
... is because I want to gain the resources, in light of my present
illness, and passion to bring mental health into the light, to write a
follow up book called 'The Truth Teller', focussing on mental health
issues, with a holistic consumer focus.
The synopsis for it is at the end of this page.
Please take the time to read it!
Although I work advocating for patients rights 3 days per week in a
Melbourne psychiatric ward following the publication of my book, and my
retirement from the newspaer illustration industry, this was only for 3
days per week, and wasnt much to live on which got me further and
further in debt.
Alas, unfortunately, I have fallen ill again with a re-occuring bout of
psychosis, and am on a disability support from the Australian
Government, which pays less than $230 per week.
My rent alone is $120 per week, and I am paying off my computer and
credit card bills, amongst others, so you can see why in desperation I
posted this page in the hope of living allowance so I can write my
book.
If you please peruse my website, www.richiemclean.com, which I have
spent countless hours of my free time designing myself, you can see I
am very passionate about the creative process and advocating for a
paradigm change in regards to mental health in society, and encouraging
the tolerance of diversity.
IF YOU DONT WANT TO DONATE BUT STILL WANT TO HELP FOR A RETURN, OR SOME
THING BACK, OR A REWARD FOR CONTRIBUTING...
READ ON...
I have offered my book FREE in downloadable Audio format, which was
read by myself on ABC Radio National here in Australia.
You can freely download the book, and make a contribution to the
project if you feel the worth of the download, or if you wish to
support my project, at the following address:
http://www.richiemclean.com/new/audiobook.html
Feel free to distribute the link, and/or, this web page!
This is one of the ways I hope to facilitate understanding of the
illness.
It is also helpful for those whos illness interferes with the ability
to concentrate to read-so they can still hear it!
Please share it in good will...
OR PLEASE ASSIST ME WRITE MY BOOK,
BY BUYING AN INSTANTLY DOWNLOADABLE PRINT OF MY ART FROM MY LAST BOOK,
'Recovered, Not Cured, a journey through schizophrenia'.
These images are all from the book, are high resolution downloads,
which means you can print them to poster size if you like!
Each download is a small fee through paypal, and again, helps me a lot!
...so thank you!
The Download Page is:
http://www.richiemclean.com/new/downloadart.html
NEW PROJECT-'TRUTH, SHOCK, and CONTEXT'.
In terms of multimedia, and celebrating Diversty, I highly reccommend
you check out another project I completed recently:
http://www.richiemclean.com/new/truthshockandcontext.html
This is a project, put together by someone who has a mental illness,
(me!), and implies that a person with the illness can be tolerant of
diversity, highly passionate and accepting of others, something we as
consumers would like from greater society.
If you like the FREE PREVIEWS, and decide to download the full
interviews, it means I can also claim a small contribution for my
efforts for the download, (a couple of dollars), which helps me a
lot...
... so THANK YOU!
All I want to do now in the world, is to get out of my financial
planning responsibilities, (which approaches bankruptcy next
month-hence I will be without a computer and a place to stay), and
focus on financing writing my next follow up book full time, the
synopsis of which is posted at the bottom of this letter...
...PLEASE READ ON BELOW AND CONSIDER!
You can see information on my planned writing project (which has just
been started...) at the following link:
http://www.richiemclean.com/new/thetruthteller.html
If you would be so kind as to consider a donation directly, you can do
so through paypal, at the following button.
Please consult your philanthropic generosity! ;)
...and help me to be a voice for those who's voice is but a whisper!
(I anticipate for the writing of the book, I will need 20-25K to
support my living expenses for the anticipated year it will take me to
write the manuscript, record the music, and complete the
interviews...and ALL supporters and contributers will be credited with
their generosity in the published book.
>I know it is a big goal but ANY donations, or downloads of my art,
original music and projects for a tiny fee off my website helps!!
...so THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Download stuff now, at www.richiemclean.com
I really really hope I can pursue my mandate, and dream of helping more
people by the writing of this book, (see below), and, write my book.
It will allow me to continue to publically advocate and...help be a
voice for those whos voice is but a whisper...
With sincere thanks to those that decide to contribute, and best wishes
of wealth not only monetarily, but in many forms, as I have been
blessed with,
Sincerely,
Richie.
PS I am directly contactable on the following email.
ric...@richiemclean.com
PS Here is the synopsis for my new project as promised.
Read about my passionate project below and PLEASE consider a donation!
Synopsis: ‘The Truth Teller’.
‘The Truth Teller’ is a first-hand cathartic yet considered snapshot of
Richard Mclean in the context of his artistic expression and experience
of the state of Mental Health in Australia and Abroad.
‘Recovered, Not Cured, a journey through schizophrenia’, (Allen and
Unwin), was my autobiographical art book that was released to high
praise in Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Japan. It received
a Human rights award from the HREOC and SANE Australia’s ‘Book of the
year’, amongst many other accolades.
The first book was written in the midst of working as a graphic
designer - and was indeed be a purging of ideas and pure experience,
told in an unflinchingly and matter-of-fact style to distance the
dischordancy of my past and define, in physical written terms, an epoch
I would not wish upon my worst enemy.
Since that time, I have travelled Nationally and Internationally
advocating for the Mentally ill, giving TV, Radio, and presentations
for different media, organizations, and universities. My waking passion
for bringing mental health issues has seen me on prime time TV, and
even speaking in Australian Parliament.
It seemed a natural progression to evolve my career into that of an
advocate for those with Mental Health issues, and did so as a consumer
consultant in a mental health service here in Melbourne.
I am, even now, more shocked and appalled at the treatment of the
mentally ill in this country and abroad, and the resources allocated.
The bane of my life involves the knowledge of extreme stigmas in terms
of mental health, associated with gaining government funding to eclipse
the need of our citizens, whom to this day are being locked up in
jails, drugged to the eyeballs, deported, and killing themselves.
Covered up-in shame.
Personally, I am also a web designer and engage in many multimedia
interviews with prominent and not-so-prominent people, create music,
traditional and digital art.
My personal experience with mental illness has fostered a great deal of
recordable and transferable material, much of which will be released on
www.richiemclean.com to coincide with this new project. It promises to
be a worldwide multimedia release of epic proportions, followed up with
public speaking, advocacy, and performances.
I anticipate this book to be a highly controversial and blatantly
truthful document, facilitating the beginnings of more community and
media awareness, that there is something dreadfully wrong, with our
ideas on what mental health means to us, and its treatment of such by
society, peers, and authorities.
Personal philosophy and the creative process will be
existentialistically celebrated in conjunction with pure fact and
observation.
This will be a book like no other: from a world-celebrated author on
his experience with schizophrenia. And as part of the books journey, it
is also revealed that Richard, apparently, does not have schizophrenia
at all.
A must read for those with any amount of empathy, and certainly for the
one in five, that at sometime in their lives, suffer the burden of
mental illness. This book promises to be an extremely personal journey
in sound, music, interviews, words, and first hand experience of being
employed as a mental health worker, and a consumer.
Richard McLean, January, 2006.
PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING...your donation helps my sponsored charity,
SANE as well!
see:
http://www.justgiving.com/richiemclean
Thank you, from those that have to endure, and for those whom the
suffering has not yet begun.
Thank you so much for reading, and enjoy the free download of the book,
'Recovered, Not Cured, a journey through schizophrenia'!
Richie.
