After my whirlwind Logies campaign, I had a much needed staycation at home. So, instead of sharing my latest travels with you, I wanted to share a project that was very close to my heart …
WATCH NEW IDEA EXCLUSIVE: Sam Mac talks FAME!
The pain of a mate taking his own life stays with you. It’s always there and it certainly isn’t pretty. So last week, I accepted the invitation of photographer Glenn Marsden to put my face and feelings into his very powerful ‘Imperfectly Perfect’ mental health initiative.
The idea is to show another side of familiar faces to increase awareness and acceptance of those experiencing depression, anxiety and other mental conditions.
I’ve spoken before about the loss of my friend, the great Richard Marsland.
Richard was an incredibly gifted comedic performer. It’s impossible to do him justice in a few sentences, but he was a celebrated writer for TV shows fronted by the likes of Rove and Shaun Micallef.
In my opinion, his star shone most brightly alongside Tony Martin on the hilarious Get
This radio program. It was peak Marsland. A gloriously absurd comic brain. You may not know his name, but you’ve probably laughed at his jokes. The most common word used to describe Richard was ‘kind’. He oozed generosity of spirit. He never wanted to upset anyone. We all miss him dearly.
It’s been 10 years, but I remember that phone call so vividly. Men in particular still struggle to share emotion, or ask for help if they’re having a bad time. It’s OK to be struggling. There’s incredible support both personally and professionally to get you through it. I’ve seen it happen and it works. My motivation in sharing these photos is to cut through the superficial smiles we see in magazines and social media.
No-one is that happy all the time and that’s OK. Check in on your mates. Know that their first response will be, “I’m all good,” or, “She’ll be right,” but if they seem ‘off’ or unusually flat, dig for the second and third response. The real response.
And then simply make sure they know they’re loved and supported, and keep checking
in.
I want to thank Glenn for making this confronting experience as comfortable as two men crying in a tiny photography studio could be. But if I’m not willing to show this side of myself, why should anyone else?
That’s the point.
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