In September of 2022, I made a snap decision that changed my life forever. Like many other Australians, I was fresh out of a lengthy COVID-induced lockdown and desperate to find a new venture to fill in my time. Too many weeks spent stuffed indoors and away from the pomp and vigour of the office had turned my once astute and articulate mind into a mush of sourdough recipes andTiger King. So on a late night whim, I purchased an old film camera on eBay and immediately started dreaming of the cinematic masterpieces I would inevitably capture.
Three weeks later, a dusty box carrying a 1970s Canon AE-1 arrived at my doorstep and almost instantly, I was hooked. There was something about the tactile feel of that metal chassis and the obnoxiously loud click of the shutter that just felt so indescribably satisfying.
That old camera, which I still shoot with weekly, kickstarted a profound appreciation for analogue technology and traditional photography. You could argue that without it, there would be no MADE Journal, but more importantly, that Canon AE-1; with its clicky buttons and sticky dials, transformed my thinking.
In photography, I found what I was desperately looking for; a true third space. It didn’t matter if the photos were exposed correctly or in focus, it was the act of creation itself that pulled me out of the funk of lockdown and into the real world again. All of a sudden, I was connecting with the local photography community, building new relationships and viewing the world, quite literally, through a different lens.
To me, that transformation was abrupt and unexpected, but for creatives like Vicki Hannan, it comes as no surprise. The photographer and mentor behind VixPix has spent years exploring the crossover between creativity and wellbeing, arguing the importance of sensory engagement, presence and embodied attention in supporting mental health. Stories like mine, she explains, aren’t uncommon.
”When people are disconnected from creative expression, something subtle but important starts to fade,“ Vicki tells me. ”It’s not just about art or imagination—it’s about confidence, curiosity, and a willingness to try. Creativity builds trust in yourself.”
Connection Through Creativity
It’s a lesson that she learned firsthand. A former Personal Development, Health and Physical Education teacher, Vicki first turned to photography as a means of connection; a natural extension of her teaching practice. While working in rural areas, the camera allowed her to connect more meaningfully with students and communities, while encouraging mindfulness. By the time she returned to Sydney, the practice had become part of her identity.
”After moving back to Sydney post-pandemic and stepping into a new stage of life, the camera became more than just a tool. It’s an ice breaker, a reason to start conversations, and a way to meet people I wouldn’t otherwise cross paths with,” she says. ”It helps me slow down, be creative, and notice what’s around me. More than anything, it’s a way to reconnect with others, to new experiences, and to those small, meaningful moments in time that are easy to overlook.”
Psychology at Play
In an era dominated by constant scrolling and algorithmic stimulation, those analogue moments are proving more important ever. A 2025 Beyond Blue survey on the Loneliness Crisis found that 30 per cent of people reported persistent loneliness; a condition increasingly recognised as a stronger driver of poor mental health than financial stress. Sensory creativity, Vicki explains, offers a vital counterbalance
”Creativity isn’t a luxury, it’s a form of care.”
”At its core, creative thinking is essential. It helps us adapt, see possibilities others might miss, and navigate change with more awareness and humanity,” she tells me. ”It’s how we process the world, solve complex problems, and find calm in uncertainty. Whether it’s addressing global challenges or simply making sense of our own experiences, creativity allows us to think differently, feel more deeply, and respond with intention.”
Creativity as a Conduit
For many of us, creativity acts as a conduit, a meaningful framework from which to build our response to the world. The ability to think creatively has even been shown to have significant benefits to relative cognition function, contributing to factors such as divergent thinking, conceptual expansion and overcoming knowledge constraints. There is also momentum building around creativity in education with changes in the Schools Curriculum, Review papers on about Visual Education & recently “The Creative Schools Conference (February 2026) focusing on how arts-based practice supports student wellbeing, fosters community and cultivates global citizenship.
More often than not, the biggest challenge is finding an avenue to put that creativity to work.
”I believe everyone is inherently creative, but it often gets buried depending on the environments we grow up or work in. For many, it’s something that needs to be relearned and actively encouraged,” Vicki explains.
”It’s a deeply human instinct. Through creativity, we make sense of the world, connect ideas, and bring calm to chaos.”
With that in mind, the photographer has launched an ongoing workshop series designed for people of all ages and backgrounds, using creativity as a practical, evidence-informed tool for wellbeing, connection and community.
The Art of Slowing Down
Blending photography, psychology and lived experience, the ‘walkshops’ are designed to position creativity not as performance or productivity, but as a grounding, preventative wellbeing practice. According to Vicki, it’s not dissimilar to the way people now turn to run clubs, ocean swims, sober socials or paint-and-sip nights for connection and mental health support.
Shaped by the insights of mental health professionals Dr Aileen Alegado and Professor David Alais, the program has been intentionally structured into five core groups, covering Men’s Mental Health & Wellbeing, Emerging Creatives, Women & Mothers, Nature-Led & Community Experiences and School Children. According to Vicki, each workshop adapts tone and delivery to its audience, but the overarching goal is to use creativity as a framework for social connection.
”Slowing down on these Walkshops is about giving ourselves permission to pause in a world that rarely does,” Vicki says. ”My hope is that they [participants] can take a camera, go for a walk, and know that they can learn to be creative, feel more confident exploring new places, meet new people, and receive genuine appreciation from others.”
In many ways, the act of creativity can be seen as a solo endeavour, but as Vicki explains, the real benefit of giving yourself permission to be experimental is community. When you step outside work and home, and find that third space, you open yourself up to a new world of possibilities, supporters and collaborators.
For me, it was the impulse purchase that started my love affair with film photography, but it is the friends and colleagues that I have met along the way that have made me a better artist and more importantly, a more well-adjusted human.
What Vicki articulates so clearly is that we are all wired to create, to connect, to find meaning in the act of making. The challenge isn’t learning how to be creative, but remembering that we already are. More often than not, all it takes is the right environment. As she puts it, “Creativity is a mix of nature and nurture… It flourishes when people feel safe to explore, be curious, and experiment without fear.”
Vicki Hannan’s VixPix Photography – Walkshop Series launched on Friday 20 March 2026 at Art+ Gallery, with an ongoing program to run across the next few months. The program has been intentionally structured into five core groups, including: Men’s Mental Health & Wellbeing, Emerging Creatives (Gen-Z / 19–25) ‘maybe Visions in the Making’, Women & Mothers (including a dedicated Mother’s Day experience), Nature-Led & Community Experiences (including Ocean Lovers Festival–aligned workshops), and Cameras Before Scrolling (School Children).
The workshops are informed by contemporary psychology and perception research that highlights the importance of sensory engagement, presence and embodied attention in supporting mental health. Each workshop adapts tone and delivery to its audience, but is grounded in the same principle: creative engagement as a pathway to psychological wellbeing and social connection. For more information, visit VixPix Photography.
