Greenwood Park’s Ash-Leigh La Foy, popularly known as Lex LaFoy, addressed mental health in the music and creative industries at the recently concluded 18th Music Imbizo. The Imbizo took place at UNISA Durban Campus from 26 to 29 August under the theme: “Toward a Sacred Economy of Sound – Building the Systems for a Conscious Music Industry.”
La Foy said the topic aligned with the Imbizo’s theme. She was joined by the United Kingdom’s Nika Brunet Milunovic, founder of Calm Nest Collective and a specialist in neuroinclusive event consulting and sustainable workplace design. “The conversation was facilitated by Music Imbizo founder Sphe Mbhele, and delved into the unique mental health challenges faced by musicians and creatives, early warning signs for those affected by mental health issues, and how to reduce these challenges through healthier work practices,” La Foy said.
Answers that emerged included challenging toxic industry norms, artists establishing a healthy work/life balance, and women creating more female-led spaces of creative and musical work — to protect women in an industry often left vulnerable by male-dominated decision-making.
Currently studying for an Honours in Health and Community Psychology at UNISA, and with a music career spanning over two decades, La Foy said the discussion was an ideal platform to shed light on the topic and link it to personal experience. “The music industry faces its own unique set of mental health challenges, rooted in the reality that artists are usually far more sensitive than the average person — it is this extra-sensitivity that helps them dig deep within themselves, and perceive their own emotions and those of others,” she said.
“Additionally, artists take a vulnerable stance by putting themselves, their emotions and their lives in the public eye for scrutiny and evaluation — meaning we consistently put ourselves out there for both opportunities of love and support, and the risk of rejection and judgement.”
La Foy said she felt honoured to represent her neighbourhood, and that she represents the nerds, the intellectuals, the weird ones, the seekers, the indigos, the working moms, the hustlers and the dreamers from everywhere.
