Guy Cry Club is a space where creativity meets masculinity and mental health. Creative practice of any form will always be acknowledged for its ability to speak, to express ideas others can’t/won’t, to uncover perspectives which may otherwise remain hidden…

Many of us need a canvas, blank page, recording studio, our own bodies, a stage etc… to communicate with ourselves and the world around us. And though we may not use words in the conventional sense it doesn’t stop us from wanting to be heard. We must not forget the importance of art as a way of engaging with others and its ability to bring people together. Guy Cry Club is an invitation to be part of the ongoing dialogue about masculinity and mental health. An invitation to be true to who you are whether you make art yourself or simply digest it. This is a home for your feelings and experiences.

Guy Cry Club has naturally progressed from creative work I have been doing which looks into individual notions of what it is to be a man, how that engages with identity, sexuality, and mental health. Often when others talk about encouraging men to speak about their feelings it is centred around a standard formula for the “manly man”. Something I and many others cannot relate to. Masculinity is far too complicated to be confined to damaging sentiments and behaviours which fail to acknowledge the natural diversity of human beings and which fail to see that masculinity is not restricted to a single gender. This brings into question how others are being encouraged to be part of the conversation; women, trans people, queer, non-binary, gender fluid, gender neutral, and all humans in between. We ALL have experiences of masculinity. We ALL have experiences of how mental health (good, bad, in flux) and masculinity interact. We ALL have a right to express ourselves and be part of a dialogue where we are acknowledged and respected.

With love from Ben Driver, Founder of Guy Cry Club